The Key (Rakan Mayasi) France, Palestine, Belgium, Qatar |

The Key
Rakan Mayasi
France, Palestine, Belgium, Qatar. 2023. 13 min

An Israeli family’s equilibrium gradually disintegrates as the mysterious sound of a key is heard every evening in the door of their apartment.

RAKAN MAYASI

Rakan Mayasi is an independent filmmaker from Palestine (Director, Writer & Producer), born in Germany and based in Brussels. He studied Cinema, Theatre & Psychology in Lebanon and then received film training at the Asian Film Academy in South Korea. He has written and directed several short films. His previous film ROUBAMA was an official selection at the Locarno Film Festival in 2012. His short film BONBONÉ tackles the phenomenon of Palestinian sperm smuggling from Israeli jails and has world premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2017 – it is the recipient of 29 Best Short Awards at international film festivals, namely Küstendorf Film and Music Festival and the 40th Moscow International Film Festival. TRUMPETS IN THE SKY is his fourth short exploring Cinema as a contemplative medium of visual poetry, metaphor, and mythology.
THE KEY is Rakan’s latest short,a political/psychological thriller film.

Director’s filmography
2022 – The Key (Short)
2021 – Trumpets in the Sky (Short)
2017 – Bonboné (Short)
2012- Roubama (Short)
2010 – Sea Sonata (Short)

DIRECTOR`S NOTE

I belong to the Palestinians in Diaspora, which means I have never seen Palestine, the land we lost and the houses that were taken away from us. In fact, our three-story house in Haifa now stands well in its place, but with different inhabitants.

I have always been intrigued by my origin, my identity, my roots, my reference. And I am longing to see it. I live in Lebanon, a few kilometers from Palestine and we still have the old key to our house in Haifa, like plenty of other Palestinians – it’s an immortal symbol of our return.

When I first read the collection of short stories that were published under the name ‘Palestine + 100’, I was expecting a collection of Science-fiction, but then I arrived at ‘The Key’ but Anwar Hamed. Mid-way through the story, I thought it was just another horror/thriller story, until the twist caught me off-guard and I immediately fell in love with the plot.

The story plays with the element of the key, which I consider a cliche in the Palestinian rhetoric, in such a way that is completely unexpected, and very intelligent. The Palestinians, who have been kicked out of their houses, still want to return – it’s known as the right of return. And this notion, Mr. Hamed managed to translate as a haunting thought, a spreading epidemic in the Israeli subconscious, a rising sense of guilt and worry.

REVIEW

The Hollywood Reporter

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