HODA – MOTHER ON HOLD – Durban International Film Festival

Student Film

HODA – MOTHER ON HOLD

Rabelle Ramez Erian |

Egypt, Germany |

2024 |

30Min |

Arabic

Synopsis

Hoda, a tattooed choir singer, Coptic Christian, and fighter against adversity, longed to have biological children, but her wish remained unfulfilled. Twenty years ago, she met little Mariam at a Coptic children’s home. Despite adoption being forbidden by law in Egypt, Hoda’s love for Mariam blossomed, as if Mariam were her own daughter. Their relationship is tested when Mariam falls in love with a young man and gradually distances herself from Hoda. Simultaneously, Hoda cares for her aging mother whose relationship has been conflicted since Hoda’s childhood.

Director

Rabelle Ramez Erian

Producer

Felizitas Hoffmann

Cinematographer

Rita Hajjar

Screenplay

Ahmed Abdel Mohsen

Principal Cast

Hoda Stefanos, Mariam Sami, Laila Nicholas

Screenings

22 Jul 19:00 Suncoast 6

23 Jul 16:30 Pavilion 12

Rabelle Ramez Erian

Rabelle Erian was born in Cairo, Egypt, and moved to Germany in 2010 to study Art and Multimedia at LMU. After obtaining her bachelor’s degree, she earned a second degree in directing for documentary film and television journalism from HFF Munich in 2023. Concurrently, she worked in the production team of the Open Border Ensemble at the MŸnchner Kammerspiele and served as a digital producer at the Maxim Gorki Theater in Berlin in 2021. As a director and producer, she operates between Germany and Egypt. Since 2023, she has been leading the film production department at ‘Fekra Film Studio’ in Aswan, Egypt.