With his latest short, the Jordanian, Germany-based filmmaker proves once again that he can tackle women's stories perfectly, while also bringing a special sensitivity to them -- all the while gently educating audiences. And, last but not least, making great cinema in the process!
As twelve-year-old Yasmin (played by the spellbinding Yasmine Nawarj) discovers she is coming of age, her older sister Ahlam (the beautiful Raean Al Masri) realizes that the only future for her sibling lies in escaping the fate that awaits her if their father (a menacingly perfect Hassan Mutlag Al Maraiyeh) has his way. Together they then embark on a journey through their wildest nightmares and come out on the other side, ready to live their lives as human beings, not simply women. It's a tale that hits home, not only because of the story it tells but the way in which Abu Eisheh tells it -- complete with masterful cinematography and VFX that would make a young Spielberg jealous...
The Visual Effects Society named an international short film – A Calling. From the Desert. To the Sea. – shot in Arabic by a team from Germany’s FilmAkademie Baden-Wurttemberg as winner of its so-called “Student Oscar” for outstanding visual effects in a student project.
A Calling tells the story of two sisters fleeing their desert home in search of a better life. The younger sister is haunted by nightmares of a desert ghoul, representative of their inner fears, who attacks them before they make their way to freedom.
A Calling was written and directed by Murad Abu Eisheh. It took two years to complete, and required 30 artists led by VFX Supervisor Mario Bertsch to deliver 28 visual-effects shots for the film. Other key participants included Compositing Lead Lukas Löffler, Rigging Technical Director Lukas Kapp, and Technical Director Pascal Schober. Lennard Fricke and Max Pollmann oversaw VFX production...

المخرج الأردني مراد أبو عيشة يقدّم ثاني تجاربه السينمائية
.سكاي نيوز
Directors Notes.

For many people, televisions offer a portal to the world. But while in developed countries it might be something you have on while you scroll the news on your phone, for people in war zones, it can be an absolute lifeline — providing a glimpse into a different world. For the football-obsessed Tala in Syria, it is a chance to watch Lionel Messi as he dances past defenders. When ISIS take over her town and ban all television, she is forced to take drastic action as we see in Murad Abu Eisheh’s Tala’vision(تالافيزيون), a touching drama about the conflict between childlike idealism and the brutality of war-torn regions. Made during his time at the Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg, it has already won Best Narrative from an International School at the Student Oscars and has been short-listed for the upcoming Academy Awards. Ahead of the final list being announced on February 8th, we caught up with Eisheh to talk about finding the right actress, being inspired by true events and filming in a refugee camp...
Deutsche Welle (DW). 

Ein kleines Mädchen in einer zerbombten Wohnung in Syrien. Der Fernseher ist ihr einziges Fenster zur Welt - doch auch dieses wird ihr genommen.
Der sogenannte "Islamische Staat" (IS) akzeptiert plötzlich keine Fernseher mehr. Die Menschen schmeißen sie durch die Fenster ihrer zerbombten Wohnungen nach draußen auf die mit Trümmern bedeckte Straße. Auch Talas Vater muss sich an die neue Regel halten - ob er will oder nicht. Seine achtjährige Tochter will es nicht. Sie kann es nicht akzeptieren. Als sie die Regel ohne Wissen des Vaters bricht und einen noch intakten Fernseher wieder ins Haus holt, geht es um Leben und Tod...

Arab Film Institute. 

AFMI’s Director of Film Programming, Yasmina Tawil, recently sat down with Murad Abu Eisheh, the filmmaker behind the Oscar shortlisted film short film Tala’vision.
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