Travelling Distribution

The Skates

A film by

Halima Ouardiri

Synopsis

Mina loves to skate. Today, her father, recently divorced from her mother, accompanies her to her first figure skating lesson. An ordinary day if something hadn't happened to the skates.

Highlights

Tags

2023

Drama

Fiction

Genre

Drama

Country

Canada (Quebec)

Year

2023

Length

13'04"

Themes

Social Justice

Teen friendly

Feminism

Violence and Abuse

BIPOC

Growing pains

With
Inès Feghouli, Mani Soleymanlou, Sophie Cadieux, Sarah Karel Chiasson, Marjorie Lajoie, Zachary Lagha

Production
Halima Ouardiri (Les Films de l’Autre)

Director
Halima Ouardiri

Screenplay
Halima Ouardiri

Cinematography
Amine Berrada

Artistic Direction
Mathieu Lemay

Editing
Xi Feng

Sound
Bruno Pucella

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Director's statement

THE SKATES is a very personal film about a child who is the victim of domestic violence after the separation of their parents. This situation may not seem like much, when it is. It's the everyday life of a mother and her child; it interferes with their existence and makes it difficult for her to develop. I recently learned that this violence had a name: it's the vicarious violence that ex-spouses exert on their children to reach mothers after their separation. This kind of behavior usually goes unnoticed, and as I was editing the film, I realized that I was actually making visible a form of violence that would otherwise have remained invisible. This idea gave me comfort. I told myself this way, other people - little-ones and grown-ups - would be able to recognize it, name it and finally become aware of it, without telling themselves like I did that they're the only ones experiencing it.

Halima Ouardiri

The Swiss-Moroccan writer and director is a graduate of the Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema in Montreal, Canada. Her first short film, MOKHTAR, screened in the top festivals around the world. CLEBS won the Crystal bear in Generation at the 2020 Berlinale. She is currently developing her debut feature film, THE CAMEL DRIVING SCHOOL.

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Festivals

Breakthroughs Film Festival, Canada | 2024 * Best Canadian Short Award
Andaras Traveling Film Festival, Italy | 2024 * Best Narrative Short
BCN Sports Film, Spain | 2025 * Best Fiction Film

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