Asma and Sarah, two women originally from the Levant, find themselves working in the same restaurant in the city of Lyon in France. Each in their own way, they both bear the weight of a home they were forced to leave behind. Initially wary of each other, they gradually discover a common thread that binds them - one that dates back to when the city of Lyon was connected to their homeland via the Silk Road. Spinning a thread between west and east and the modern migrant experience of women moving from a troubled Lebanon to modern-day Paris, Les Chenilles is a smart, challenging film about exploitation, but also an empathetic portrait of feminine solidarity, friendship and solace. In the midst of forced migrations, can we move past our animosity to find solace in each other?
France, Lebanon 2023, '30
DIRECTOR: Michelle Keserwany, Noel Keserwany
SCENARIO: Michelle Keserwany
CAMERA: Karim Ghorayeb
MONTAGE: Konstantin Bock
MUSIC: Zeid Hamdan, Lynn Adib
PRODUCERS: Marine Vaillant
PRODUCTION: Dewberries Films, Biennale de Lyon
FESTIVALS & AWARDS:
Berlinale: Golden Bear for Best Short (2023) Malmo Arab FF: Jury Award (2023) Champs-Élysées Film Festival: Audience Award (2023) Kinemastik ISFF: Special Mention (2023) Arab FF: Best Short (2023) Le Cri du Court: Couronne d’Argent (2023) Mieres FF: Best Acting, Best Screenplay (2023) Festival du Film Libanais: Best Script (2023) El Gouna FF: Best Arab Short (2023) MENA FF: Best Short (2024)
Michelle Keserwany
Michelle Keserwany is a Lebanese musician, writer and filmmaker. Michelle is known for the satirical music videos she creates along with her sister Noel Keserwany, and that criticize the Lebanese corrupt political system.
Ever since Michelle co-wrote Capernaum with director Nadine Labaki (Academy Award nominee, winner of the Prix du Jury in Cannes 2018 as well as Best Script Award at Stockholm IFF), she started her own film projects, including her first animated feature film currently in development Ouzkourini, produced by Special Touch Studios.
Michelle has been developing the political documentary Slow Burn, along with her sister Noel. The film is a co-production between France and Lebanon, produced by Special Touch Studios and supported by the CNC. In 2019 Michelle received a grant from the French Institute to reside at La Cite des Arts in Paris and work on her film projects. She has been living between Beirut and Paris since.
In 2021, she received the CNC's Aide au Parcours d’Auteur grant, to develop her first fiction feature film Amara, a satirical political drama that takes place in Beirut. The sisters' debut short fiction film Les Chenilles was written by Michelle, and directed by her and Noel, who also plays one of the lead roles in it. The film is co-produced by La Biennale de Lyon and Dewberries Films.
Noel Keserwany
Noel Keserwany is a Lebanese musician, writer and filmmaker. Noel is known for the satirical music videos she creates along with her sister Michelle Keserwany, and that criticize the Lebanese corrupt political system.
The sisters have been developing the political documentary Slow Burn, a co-production between France and Lebanon, produced by Special Touch Studios and supported by the CNC.
In 2021 Noel received a grant from the French Institute to reside at La Cite des Arts in Paris and work on her film projects. She has been living between Beirut and Paris since. Noel is currently writing her first fiction film Un An and developing an animated short film Seven Mountains and Seven Seas, grantee of the DFI Production Fund and produced by Dewberries Films.
The sisters' debut short fiction film Les Chenilles was written by Michelle, and directed by her and Noel, who also plays one of the lead roles in it. The film is co-produced by La Biennale de Lyon and Dewberries Films.
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