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The Wash
(Vaskeriet) by Hisham el-Zouki (Syria/Norway, 2005, 8 minutes, Color, DigiBETA NTSC)
Synopsis
Taking the dirty laundry takes on new meanings in The Wash. Two immigrants in Norway, working as cleaners for a company entrusted to prepare the site for the visit of the U.S. president, are suddenly thrown into disarray when blood begins to drip from the U.S. flag hanging high on its mast. The Wash is crafted like a caustic allegorical fable about perceptions of the U.S., and leaves the viewer with an open-ended field of interpretation
Filmmaker's Biography
Born in Damascus, Hisham el-Zouki first studied English Literature at the University of Damascus. He moved to Oslo, Norway, where in 1999, he completed his studies at The Film and Television Academy. He has worked on several film productions in Norway, including Stu and Fri oss fra det onde (Free Us from the Evil). He has directed several short films, including, Nostalgia (1998), The Door (1999), Ghetto (2000), Eternally Aliens (2002), and Just a City (2003). His film The Door was screened at several festivals around the world, it was awarded several prizes, including “best film” (immigrant section) at Avezzano, Italy, in 2000. Eternally Aliens won first prize for short documentary at the Rotterdam Arab Film Festival in 2002. And Just a City won second prize for short documentary at the same festival in 2003.
Credits
Written and Directed by: Hisham al-Zouki
Cinematographer: Nils Petter Lotherington
Editor: Oyvind Garau
Sound/Music: Hakon Lammentun, Kinan Abu-Afash
Cast: David Allen, Kaja Jacobson, Jonas Grue, Morten Ruda, Anders Bye
Producer: Dag Hoel, Norwegian Film Institute
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