Annecy First Title from Jordan, ’Saleem,’ Hits Festival Contrechamp Competition (EXCLUSIVE)

variety.com:

Holly Jones Folding the intricacies of the human condition into everyday life in Jordan, director Cynthia Madanat Sharaiha (“Noor”) bows her feature debut “Saleem” in competition at the Annecy Animation Festival.

The film marks the first Jordanian selection for the festival and was selected as part of this year’s Contrechamp strand which includes Pablo Berger’s offbeat friendship study “Robot Dreams,” a Cannes Festival standout, alongside 10 additional titles.

Aiming to dismantle preconceived notions, Madanat Sharaiha calls on the tradition of storytelling prevalent in her culture to ensure a fuller perspective, parlaying the region’s quotidian routines into vivid, wide-eyed renderings of rambunctious and endearing children, their parents and the captivating provincial terrain. “We’re a culture of storytelling, but our stories don’t always make it into the world.

We wanted to tell a different kind of story, not portray the Middle East as romanticized, political or magical. Ours is a modern story that represents the culture, an environment that’s more diverse, different than what people normally see,” Madanat Sharaiha told Variety.