ASHKAL

ABOUT THE FILM

North of Tunis, in an area known as the Gardens of Carthage, a body is found, burnt to death – strangely there are no signs of a struggle or any indication of how the body was set on fire – two cops, Fatma and Batal, set out to investigate the mysterious crime whilst battling their own demons and it isn’t long before all signs start to point to something potentially supernatural – by the end, the very soul of the city will be at stake and Fatma and Batal will be the only standing in the way of its destruction. Youssef Chebi’s atmospheric mystery starts off as a procedural before descending into full-blown horror – it’s unusual to see a genre film from Tunisia but what makes this one even more intriguing is the uncanny way which mixes regional details with horror tropes creating a wholly unique experience. Building to a finale that is so incredible in its ambition and so shocking in its imagery that it has to be seen to be believed, ASHKAL proves that sometimes the scariest things lay in the tiniest of details. SECOND VERSION FROM DISTRIBUTOR: Set amongst derelict, half-finished apartment complexes of a former regime, the discovery of a mysterious burnt body by two police officers reveals a puzzling repetition of events. As the investigation progresses, a network of violence and corruption is uncovered throughout the city.

FORMAT: DCP

DISTRIBUTOR: Yellow Veil Pictures