Syrian Writer/director Soudade Kaadan's powerful debut-feature explores loss and the trauma of war through the dangerous journey of a mother forced to risk everything for her son. It's winter, 2012, in war-torn Damascus. Sena (Sawsan Arsheed) quietly yearns for a sense of normalcy and just wants to cook a hot meal for her young son, Khalil. At work at a pharmacy, Sena discovers the store ransacked and her boss has gone missing. The violence erupting around the city is on the rise and so are shortages of basic supplies like water and cooking fuel. Sena joins her neighbors, Reem (Reham Al Kassar) and Jalal (Samer Ismail), on a quest for a replacement fuel cylinder on the edge of the city. The expedition soon goes awry at a checkpoint and the three are forced to flee into a grove on the dreamlike outskirts of Damascus. Here, the war lurks in the woods and Sena's hopes of quickly returning to her son slip away.
Soudade Kaadan is a Syrian director, born in France. She has directed and produced several award-winning documentaries including Obscure, which premiered at CPH:DOX in 2017. The Day I Lost My Shadow is her first feature fiction film.
"The Day I Lost My Shadow is a powerful drama which highlights the trauma and desensitizing effect of living in a war zone." - Backseat Mafia