''From my Window, Without a Home…'' () is a

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

feature film produced, written and directed by

Maryanne Zéhil Maryanne Zéhil is a Lebanese-Canadian film producer, director, screenwriter, and author. Born in Beirut, Lebanon, she has lived in Montreal, Quebec, since 1996. She founded Mia Productions in 2000. Filmography *''From My Window, Without a Home� ...

. The film tells the story of a Lebanese woman who leaves her country and family to settle in

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

. It features

Louise Portal Louise Portal (born May 12, 1950) is a Canadian actress, film director, singer and writer. She won the Genie Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in the film ''The Decline of the American Empire'', and was a nominee for Best Actress f ...

, Renée Thomas, Leyla Hakim, Walid El Alayli, Hélène Mercier, Jean-François Blanchard, Mariloup Wolfe, Catherine Colvey and

Sébastien Ricard Sébastien Ricard (born May 25, 1972) is a Canadian musician and actor from Quebec, most noted as a member of the hip hop band Loco Locass. As an actor, he won the Prix Jutra for Best Actor at the 12th Jutra Awards in 2010 for his performance ...

Plot

At four years old, Dounia’s mother, Sana, emigrates to

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

, leaving her daughter behind in burning and bloody

Beirut Beirut ( ; ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, just under half of Lebanon's population, which makes it the List of largest cities in the Levant region by populatio ...

Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...

. Seventeen years later, after the death of her father, Dounia comes to

to meet a mother she no longer remembers. Once in Montreal, Dounia quickly realizes that her mother is a stranger to her. Sana avoids talking about the past, yet she is forced to confront it, little by little. Communication between the two women is awkward, and Dounia's stay is drawing to a close. It seems impossible for Sana to return to Beirut, yet circumstances provoke it. Returning to the homeland she once fled like the lague, Sana has no choice but to face her past.

Cast

Release

The film premiered at the Rendez-vous Québec Cinéma on 26 February 2006.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:From My Window, Without a Home... 2006 films 2006 drama films Canadian drama films Lebanese drama films Quebec films Films set in Montreal Films shot in Montreal 2000s Canadian films