The Roller, the Life, the Fight

syno

psis

Hazem arrives in Belgium after a painful journey from Gaza and at the same time, Elettra also arrives in Brussels to study documentary film. Their first moments together are revealing and trigger the desire to get to know each other through the medium of film, but they have to cope with the rigidity of his asylum procedure and must stay strong and united. Through the images of their lives, the viewers are plunged into the details of the meeting of two worlds.

Director's

bio

Elettra Bisogno was born in Italy and grew up in various European cities. After studying graphic design in Italy, where she specializes in experimental printmaking, she moves to Brussels and instinctively turns to the moving image. She draws inspiration and forges herself from watching and listening to the world, in its beauty and its injustice. Graduating in 2021 from the Kask School of Arts in the cinema section, she emerged as a documentary filmmaker with two short films: Ultima Cassa (2018) and Old Child (2020).

Hazem Alqaddi is from Palestine, he graduated from the UNRWA Schools in Rafah-Gaza and arrived in Belgium in 2018 wishing for a new life outside of besieged Palestine. Since he has lived in Gaza, he has been a passionate rollerblader, kitemaker, chef and storyteller. Driven by a desire to connect with people, he discovered filmmaking in 2019 when he co-directed Old Child (2020), and has been recording with commitment ever since to express what’s in his heart.