Released in 2021 via YouTube, ‘Alephia 2053 أليفيا’ is an Arabic-language animated film set in a future fictional state dominated by a despotic ruler.
Created by a Lebanese company Spring Entertainment, with partial backing from French animation studio Malil’Art, over 70% of the work for the film was done in Lebanon. With its meticulous animation work and darkly evocative soundtrack (available on Spotify etc.), Lebanese cinema critic Elias Doummar has called it “a milestone in Arab animation”.
Produced by Rabi’ Sweidan, Marwan Harb, and Jules Kassas, and directed and illustrated by Jorj Abou Mhaya, ‘Alephia 2053 أليفيا’ follows the story of two undercover agents from the Alephian Internal Security Services, Majd Darwish and Soumaya Hashem (daughter of Fares Hashem, the ruler’s right hand man), who assist in orchestrating a coup alongside a rebel group against the hereditary ruler, Alaa Ibn Ismael Al Aleph, bringing an end of his autocratic rule.
Drawing from familiar social conditions seen regionally and globally, the film resonated with audiences, particularly in the Arab world, where the narrative of repression, resistance, and revolution struck a chord a decade after the Arab Spring. Viewed over eight million times since its release, ‘Alephia 2053 أليفيا’ sparked discussions about the ongoing struggle for freedom and the possibility of a brighter future.
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