The Gate of Sun

An adaptation of Elias Khoury’s internationally acclaimed novel "Bab el Shams" / "Gate of the Sun", this poignant epic chronicles the odyssey of Palestinians over a span of 50 years. Caught between wars, waves of displacement, and the precariousness of life in refugee camps, solace is cultivated in love, resistance, enduring memories, the power of hope, andthe dreams of return. Khalil (Basel Khayyat), a physician tries to bring Yunus, a Palestinian patriot and ex-fighter, who lies in coma, back to life; not through medicine but by the virtue of remembering and telling stories. The stories of Yunus juxtapose both the life trajectories of Khalil and himself, weaving their past into their present, tracking down the destiny of a lost homeland and contemplating the uncertain futures of a deferred nationhood. The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2004 and is screened for the first time in Germany in its two-part 4K version at ALFILM, restored last year by the Locarno Film Festival and included in the official selection of its 76th edition.