The Watchman (Ali Cherri) France |

The Watchman
Ali Cherri
France. 2024. 26 min

In the remote village of Lourujina, situated within the self-proclaimed Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, Sergeant Bulut, a young Turkish Cypriot soldier, finds himself stationed to guard the dividing line. As he dutifully stands watch over the quiet landscape amidst the routine and solitude, peculiar events unfold that challenge the very essence of his mission.
“The Watchman” looks at a life suspended in the limbo of waiting. While Sergeant Bulut grapples with the enigmatic occurrences around him, the film unfolds a narrative of duty entangled in illusion—a tale of disappointment by the anticipation of an elusive enemy that might never come.

ALI CHERRI

Born in Beirut, Ali Cherri is a visual artist and filmmaker based in Paris. Combining film, video, sculpture and installation, his work questions the construction of historical narratives. Ali was the Artist in Residence at the National Gallery in London (2021/2022) and is the Silver Lion winner at the 59th Venice Biennale Arte (2022) for his installation Of Men and Gods and Mud. Ali Cherri is the recipient of Harvard University’s Robert E. Fulton Fellowship, the Rockefeller Foundation Residency Award. His short films The Disquiet and The Digger have been shown and awarded at numerous festivals. The Dam, shot in Sudan during the revolution, his first feature film, was presented at Cannes – Directors’ Fortnight 2022. This year, Ali Cherri’s first solo exhibition in the United States Humble and quiet and soothing as mud, has been presented by the Swiss Institute. He is now opening the exhibition Dreamless Night at GAMeC (Bergamo) which will travel at Frac Bretagne (Rennes) and works on his next exhibition at the Fondation Giacometti (Paris).

Filmography

THE WATCHMAN 2023
SOMNICULUS 2017
LE CREUSEUR / THE DIGGER 2015
CPH:DOX (2015) – NEW VISION Prize
L’INTRANQUILLE / THE DISQUIET 2013
PIPE DEREAMS 2012
DREAMS IN THREE CHAPTERS 2011
YOU 2008
SLIPPAGE 2007
UNTITLED 2006
UN CERCLE AUTOUR DU SOLEIL

DIRECTOR,S NOTE

In the turbulent history of Cyprus, the village of Louroujina stands as a poignant testament to the island’s division. Nestled in the northern part, it now resides under the self-declared Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. Before the 1974 division, Louroujina was a harmonious mix of Greek and Turkish Cypriots. However, the conflict resulted in the displacement of the Greek Cypriot population, leaving the village predominantly Turkish Cypriot.
Louroujina transformed into an isolated enclave within Greek Cypriot-controlled territory, accessible only through a narrow corridor to Northern Cyprus. The main road to Lympia, blocked since 1974, lies 300 meters from the roadblock in Louroujina, but the current journey stretches over 77 kilometers, symbolizing the physical and emotional distances imposed by the geopolitical rift.

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