Cherkess (Al Sharakissa)

Year: 2010
Country: JORDAN
Run Time: 117 minutes

An impossible love story set in the late 19th century in the area now known as Jordan, CHERKESS historically represents the period during which many Circassians immigrated to the Arab world. The Cherkess are from the North Caucasus and have escaped the rule of the Russian Tsar in search of freedom. They find this freedom in the Ottoman desert of Transjordan and are ordered to establish their farms near the springs of Ras Al Ain. Unfortunately, the springs are also a religious site of the nearby Bedouins and tensions escalate quickly between the two cultures. Their struggle to maintain peace is augmented when they become aware of the forbidden love between Nart, a Cherkess from Istanbul, and Hind, the beautiful daughter of the Sheikh of the nearby Bedouin tribe. When Aziz, Hind's brother, finds out about the secret affair he vows to kill Hind and Nart, possibly igniting the beginning of a war between the two civilizations. A dramatic film rich with music, dance, and culture, CHERKESS is a proverbial tale about two young people from different worlds and the miraculous power of true love. (In Arabic and Circassian with subtitles) – M.M.

• Tweet