There is a Tuareg proverb that says: “There are lands that are full of water for the well-being of the body, and lands that are full of sand for the well-being of the soul.” The desert is a literary field and a field of abstraction at the same time. It is one of the rare places where the infinitely small, that is a speck of sand, and the infinitely big, and that is billions of specks of sand, meet. It is also a place where one can have a true sense of the Universe and of its scale..”
- Nacer Khemir

AVAILABLE FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THE UNITED STATES ON DVD IN 2008

Typecast Releasing is proud to present the acclaimed DESERT TRILOGY from director Nacer Khemir on DVD for the first time in the United States. Beginning in 1984 with SEARCHERS OF THE DESERT, Nacer Khemir has created a series of films that portray both the beauty and mystery of the deserts of Tunisia to astounding effect. A master of the folktale, Nacer Khemir is multi-talented artist, who also paints and writes poetry, and with the DESERT TRILOGY, Khemir combines all of his talents to create a set of truly artful and gorgeous films.

The first film in the series is SEARCHERS OF THE DESERT. Released in 1984, it sets the standard for Khemir’s tales to come. The story of a young teacher (played by Khemir) who has been appointed to teach in a remote village, where he finds a community cut off from time and space. The inhabitants seem to live under a curse that finds all men in the village overcome by a fever that leads them to wander off into the desert, and soon the teacher finds himself struck by the wandering fever as well. The film is both a fantastic Thousand-and-One-Night type tale and also a meditation on the lost grandeur of Arab civilization.

THE DOVE’S LOST NECKLACE is the second film of the DESERT TRILOGY and is just as stunning as the first. It is about Hassan, a young man in search of the secrets of love, which leads to a journey beyond his imagination. Encounter wars, a battle between false prophets, and an ancient curse, he learns that an entire lifetime would not be enough to learn all of the aspects of love. A mystical, moving journey, Khemir’s second film is a poem in tribute to love and all the mystery that surrounds it.
BAB’AZIZ (THE PRINCE WHO CONTEMPLATED HIS SOUL) is Nacer Khemir’s latest masterpiece. Made with the participation of legendary screenwriter Tonino Guerra (L’AVVENTURRA, RED DESERT), it is the story of another journey, this one of faith. Blind dervish Bab’Aziz and his granddaughter Ishtar travel the deserts of Tunisia in search of the gathering of the Dervish, with only faith as their guide. In his most mystical and beautiful film thus far, Khemir captures all of the amazing vistas of the desert in this phenomenal festival favorite.

Wanderers of the Desert & The Dove’s Lost Necklace available 3/25/08

Bab’Aziz: The Prince Who Contemplated His Soul in theaters 2/8/2008