Rakan Mayasi presents debut film at Festa Roma

Palestinian director Rakan Mayasi presented his debut feature film, ‘Yesterday the Eye Didn’t Sleep’, at the Festa di Roma within the Progressive Cinema and Best First Work competition. The film, which previously appeared in the Un Certain Regard section at Cannes, is scheduled for Italian theatrical release in March 2027.

Set in the Bekaa Valley on the border of Lebanon and Syria, the film explores the complexities of Bedouin tribal traditions and a rigid patriarchal society. The narrative follows a family drama where women are used as bargaining chips to prevent blood feuds following a fatal accident involving rival tribes.

Mayasi noted that the film serves as a personal tribute to his grandmother and acts as a political metaphor. He highlighted that the production took place amidst Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon and Syria, adding a systemic political dimension to the filming process.