To a Land Unknown

Two Palestinians stranded in Athens on the challenging journey toward their dream of opening a café with a Palestinian menu in Germany.

The Palestinian Chatila and his cousin Reda are stranded in Athens, fleeing from a refugee camp in Lebanon in hopes of realizing their dream of opening a café serving Palestinian cuisine in Germany. Back home, Chatila’s girlfriend and child await news, while Reda constantly thinks of his mother. For both, everything revolves around securing money and opportunities to get closer to their goal. It is an extremely difficult task, and the pressure pushes them toward actions neither of them wants to take.

Two marginalized souls chasing a dream of finding a homeland, freedom, and a life with meaning. But as the great Palestinian philosopher and writer Edward Said put it: «In a way, it is the fate of the Palestinian not to end up where they started, but in an unexpected place far away.»

To a Land Unknown had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in 2024.

Lasse Skagen

Director

Mahdi Fleifel (b. 1979) is a Danish-Palestinian filmmaker. A World Not Ours (2012) is his first feature-length documentary. Since then, he has made several critically acclaimed short films. To A Land Unknown (2024) is his first fiction film.

This film is part of