Hassan’s Way
El Rayo
DIRECTORS: Fran Araújo, Ernesto de Nova COUNTRIES: Spain, Portugal YEAR: 2013 LANGUAGE(S): Arabic, Spanish SUBTITLES: English RUNNING TIME: 86 min
SECTION: International Forum 2015
SYNOPSIS
Hassan has worked in Spain illegally for 13 years. Now, the economic crisis forces him to go back to Morocco, but he doesn’t want to go back empty-handed. So he buys a tractor with his savings and sets off for his journey through Spain. If you’re thinking of David Lynch’s THE STRAIGHT STORY now, you’re not far off: With plenty of empathy and humor, Fran Araujo and Ernesto de Nova tell of Hassan’s bizarre trip – which is based on the main protagonist’s real life.
“When we found out about Hassan’s story, it touched us and we decided to leave for Morocco with him and his Massey Ferguson which hardly reaches 30 km/h. El Rayo is the result of this journey, a road movie along the side roads of Spain, where everything happens for real and all the characters play themselves. A story about dignity that shows the face of a man who fights, a survivor that defies every obstacle he meets and always has a positive approach during his odyssey. How do you survive when you have nothing?” (Fran Araújo and Ernesto de Nova)
FRAN ARAÚJO
Born in Vigo in 1980, Fran Araújo started his career as a scriptwriter at a TV series called Periodistas. Since then he has written and directed various documentaries and short films. Currently Araújo is working on three film projects for Tele5 Cinema and teaches at the Factoría del Guión. HASSAN’S WAY is Fran Araújo’s first feature-length movie as a director.
FILMOGRAPHY
Marineros en tierra (2004), Proteger bajo el fuego (2013), Hassan’s Way (2013)
ERNESTO DE NOVA
Born in in Elche in 1980, Ernesto de Nova started studying Medicine but switched to Audio Visual Communication after two years. He has worked in television as producer, editor and director as well as in Advertising. He is currently working on a fiction TV series and develops a new cinema project. HASSAN’S WAY is his first film.
FILMOGRAPHY
Ernesto de Nova
Hassan’s Way (2013)
SCRIPT: Ernesto de Nova, Fran Araújo PRODUCERS: Antonio Hens, Pandora Da Cunha Telles, Pablo Iraola, Julio Díez, Jorge Beltrán, Guillermo Rojas, Oihana Olea CAMERA: Diego Dussuel EDITOR: Pablo Gil Rituerto MUSIC: Ana Villa, Juanjo Valmorisco CAST: Hassan Benoudra
PRODUCTION: Altube Filmeak, Malas Campañías, Ukbar Filmes, Dos De Catorce Producciones S.l., Allmura Films WORLD SALES: David Castellanos, Cinema Republic