THE MAIDEN'S POND
Bassem Breche
THE ATTIC (Lebanon), fiction
In a small Lebanese town, a mother struggles to lend support to her estranged and newly divorced daughter, as both women come to terms with their unresolved wounds.
THE MAIDEN'S POND tells the story of SALMA and her returning daughter THURAYA, and their attempt to preserve,maintain and reconstruct their lives with and against each other. Salma survived many years by protecting her independence, making sure that she did not need anyone. She reached her peace through letting go of any attachments and sense of rebellion. Salma became a woman by letting go of her motherhood, by forgetting it and making it irrelevant. But the past does not let go of Salma and brings back Thuraya, defeated, divorced, and pregnant. Thuraya is the leftover, the reminder of a past that haunts Salma. She comes, or is brought back, to her mother, and can only exist by disturbing her precarious life and her routines and rituals. Thuraya’s intrusion on Salma’s territory unleashes an impossible attempt to share a space and a past. From an animalistic defense of territory to the resignation of a repressed desire, a palette of emotions unfolds as the 2 women look for a way to heal.
Bassem Breche / IMDb
BASSEM BRECHE is an Emmy award winning scriptwriter and director. Since 2007, Breche has directed three short films: BOTH (short, 2007, director) premiering at Cannes’ Critics week, ZIU (short, 2013, director) and FREE RANGE (short, 2014, director). Breche has written a various amount of webseries and films: SHANKABOOT (2009, writer), FASATEEN (2012, writer), THE LITTLE DROP (2015, writer), ENSLAVED (2017, writer) ALEPH (2019, writer) & VIRTUE (2020, writer). Breche is the founder/director of SCENARIO BEIRUT. Currently Breche is working on the postproduction of his debut film THE MAIDEN’S POND.
Director’s statement
What connects the two women of THE MAIDEN’S POND is the inheritance of loss and pain, handed down through the generations despite action or rebellion. In such a context, verbal communication is impossible, apologies are not available, and forgiveness is not an option. Forgetting, ignoring and surviving might be all that is left – a lesson that goes against the grain in a present that is all too keen on resolutions, endings and moral lessons. SALMA reluctantly returns to her state of motherhood, only to discover that option is not available any more. THURAYA returns to her past in search of a trauma that might be resolved, only to discover there is nothing there. Moving forward often requires letting go of the past, aborting it, and, discovering a different self – one that can provide some comfort for the time that remains.
Where are we at?
Total budget: 710.000,00 EUR
Financing in place: 500.000,00 EUR
Sales agent: none
Territories available: World
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Production Company profile
Founded in 2009, THE ATTIC is a growing production boutique focusing on quality storytelling in all its forms. THE ATTIC has been diversifying its interest and bringing productions to theater and musical stages. THE ATTIC produced the shorts TALEJ, REVOLTANGO, and 2 1/2 winner of FIPRESCI award at DIFF 2010 and feature documentary BEIRUT TERMINUS winner of the best non fiction film prize at CIFF 2019, in addition to and Anti-personnel theater play; besides the current animation The Day Vladimir Died and THE MAIDEN+S POND. While working to bring to light films by emerging talented directors and participating vigorously In the present and future of cinema in the middle east, The Attic is currently developing several eclectic projects.