The Village Next to Paradise

{{Infobox film

| name =

| image =

| alt =

| caption =

| native_name =

| director = Mo Harawe

| writer =

| screenplay =

| story = Mo Harawe

| based_on =

| producer = {{Plainlist|

Sabine Moser
Oliver Neumann
Nuur Abdulkadir Shriwa

}}

| starring = {{Plainlist|

Ahmed Ali Farah
Anab Ahmed Ibrahim
Ahmed Mohamud Saleban }}

| narrator =

| cinematography = Mostafa El Kashef

| editing =

| music =

| studio = {{Plainlist|

FreibeuterFilm
Kazak Productions
NiKo Film
Maanmaal ACC}}

| distributor =

| released = {{Film date|df=y|2024|05|21|Cannes|ref1={{cite web |last1=Baughan |first1=Nikki |title='The Village Next To Paradise': Cannes Review |url=https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/the-village-next-to-paradise-cannes-review/5193825.article |website=Screen Daily |access-date=21 May 2024}}}}

| runtime = 132 minutes

| country = {{Plainlist|

Austria
France
Somalia}}

| language =

| budget =

| gross =

}}

The Village Next to Paradise is a 2024 drama film written and directed by Mo Harawe in his feature-length debut.{{cite news |last1=Goodfellow |first1=Melanie |title=Totem Films Boards Sales On Somali Cannes Un Certain Regard Title 'The Village Next To Paradise' |url=https://deadline.com/2024/04/totem-films-sales-somali-cannes-un-certain-regard-title-the-village-next-to-paradise-1235880555/ |access-date=21 May 2024 |agency=Deadline}} Starring Ahmed Ali Farah, Ahmed Mohamud Saleban, and Anab Ahmed Ibrahim as a family in turmoil, The Village Next to Paradise was the first Somali film to be featured in the Official Selection of the Cannes Film Festival.{{cite news |last1=Vourlias |first1=Christopher |title=Somali Filmmaker Mo Harawe Makes History in Cannes With Intimate Family Drama 'The Village Next to Paradise' |url=https://variety.com/2024/film/global/cannes-mo-harawe-the-village-next-to-paradise-1235999749/ |access-date=21 May 2024 |agency=Variety}}{{cite news |last1=Abraham |first1=Hannah |title=Somali Director Mo Harawe Talks History-Making Cannes Title 'The Village Next To Paradise': "For 70% Of The Crew, It Was First Time On A Film Set" |url=https://deadline.com/2024/05/somali-director-mo-harawe-the-village-next-to-paradise-cannes-1235922994/ |access-date=21 May 2024 |agency=Deadline}}

Premise

Mamargrade (Farah) struggles to raise his son Cigaal (Saleban) in their rural Somali village amidst conflict, natural disasters, and the constant presence of drones from the United States. Their family dynamic is further altered by the arrival of Marmargrade's sister Araweelo (Ibrahim), who is seeking a fresh start after her divorce.{{cite web |title=Mo Harawe with "Village Next to Paradise" in Cannes |url=https://kunsthochschulekassel.de/en/willkommen/news/mo-harawe-with-village-next-to-paradise-in-cannes.html |website=Kunsthochschule Kassel |access-date=21 May 2024}}

Cast

Ahmed Ali Farah as Mamamrgrade
Anab Ahmed Ibrahim as Araweelo
Ahmed Mohamud Saleban as Cigaal

Production

The film was shot in Somalia with a principal cast of first-time actors.

Release

The Village Next to Paradise premiered on May 21, 2024, in the Un Certain Regard portion of the Cannes Film Festival, where it was eligible for the Camera d'Or award. It has also been selected for the MAMI Mumbai Film Festival 2024 under the World Cinema section.{{Cite web |last=Deb |first=Deepshikha |date=2024-09-30 |title=MAMI Mumbai Film Festival Unveils 2024 Official Lineup |url=https://www.highonfilms.com/mami-mumbai-film-festival-unveils-2024-official-lineup/ |access-date=2024-10-12 |website=High On Films |language=en-US}} It had its French theatrical debut in Paris on April 9th, 2025.

Reception

=Critical response=

{{Rotten Tomatoes prose|100|7|6||ref=yes|access-date=4 June 2024}}

= Accolades =

class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" ! scope="col" \| Award ! scope="col" \| Ceremony date ! scope="col" \| Category ! scope="col" \| Recipient(s) ! scope="col" \| Result ! scope="col" \| Ref.
scope="row" rowspan="2" \| Cannes Film Festival \| 24 May 2024 \| Un Certain Regard \| rowspan="2" \| The Village Next to Paradise \| {{nom}} \| align="center" \|
rowspan="2" \| 25 May 2024 \| Camera d'Or \| {{Pending}} \| align="center" \|

class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"

! scope="col" | Award

! scope="col" | Ceremony date

! scope="col" | Category

! scope="col" | Recipient(s)

! scope="col" | Result

! scope="col" | Ref.

scope="row" rowspan="2" | Cannes Film Festival

| 24 May 2024

| Un Certain Regard

| rowspan="2" | The Village Next to Paradise

| {{nom}}