It Must Be Heaven

Name: It Must Be Heaven
Director: Elia Suleiman

IMBH / Ce doit être le paradis (Working title)

All titles (5)

Feature Film | 2018-2019 | Tragicomedy | Canada, France, Germany, Palestine, Turkey

Main data

Director	Elia Suleiman
Written by	Elia Suleiman
Production	Rectangle Productions, Possibles Média Inc. [ca], Majdal Films [il/ps], Pallas Film GmbH, Zeyno Film [tr], Arte [de/fr], ZDF - Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen [de]
Distributor	Le Pacte [fr], Maison 4:3 [ca], Neue Visionen Filmverleih GmbH [de], Wild Bunch [fr]

Shooting data

Start of shooting	06/05/2018
End of shooting	04/11/2018
Number of shooting days	52
Locations	Nazareth, Paris, Montréal
Filming regions	Canada, France - Paris Île-de-France, Israel

Project data

Film financing	Aide aux Cinémas du Monde (CNC - Institut français) [fr] (10/2016) Doha Film Institute [qa] Société de développement des entreprises culturelles (SODEC) [ca] - production funding (12/2017) German-French coproduction (Mini-traité) [de/fr]: 300.000 € (03/2018) Mitteldeutsche Medienförderung [de] - production funding: 340.000 € (04/2018) Mitteldeutsche Medienförderung [de] - distribution funding (theatrical): 70.000 EUR (11/2019) Eurimages [eu]: 450.000 € (03/2018)
Length of movie	97'
Aspect ratio	Cinemascope (1 : 2,39)
Acquisition format	ARRI RAW

Trailers/Videos

Trailers/Videos

Trailer/Video on Youtube
Trailer/Video on Youtube

Brief synopsis

Elia Suleiman, the central character and narrator, escapes from Palestine seeking an alternative homeland, only to realize that Palestine is always there, just behind him. The promise of a new life soon turns into a comedy of errors. However far he travels, from Paris to New York or Doha, something reminds him home: the police, border controls and racism are never far away… And while he does everything he can to integrate into a new society, trying to erase the traces of his nationality, everyone constantly reminds him of where he has come from. As he wanders and wonders, through searching and self-searching, Elia Suleiman asks the fundamental question: where can we truly call home? From award-winning director Elia Suleiman, a burlesque saga exploring identity, nationality and belonging… in which humour brings new hope for others and for Suleiman himself.
(https://www.wildbunch.biz/movie/it-must-be-heaven/)

Cast

Actor	Role name	Voice actor / SpeakerVoice actor
Elia Suleiman	Elia Suleiman [L]
Gael Garcia Bernal	Himself [GS]
Tarik Kopty	Neighbour - Father (Nazareth) [SR]
Kareem Ghneim	Neighbour - Son (Nazareth) [SR]
George Khleifi	Waiter (Nazareth) [SR]
Ali Suliman	Brother in the restaurant (Nazareth) [SR]
Fares Muqabaa	Brother in the restaurant (Nazareth) [SR]
Yasmine Haj	Sister in the restaurant (Nazareth) [SR]
Nael Kanj	Bishop (Nazareth) [SR]
Asmaa Azai	Bedouin (Nazareth) [SR]
Grégoire Colin	Man in the Metro (Paris) [SR]
Vincent Maraval	Producer (Paris) [SR]
Claire Dumas	Paramedic (Paris) [SR]
Antoine Cholet	Paramedic (Paris) [SR]
Éric Cornet	Homeless man (Paris) [SR]
Yumi Narita	Japanese woman (Paris) [SR]
Kengo Saito	Japanese man (Paris) [SR]
Stephen McHattie	Fortune-teller (New York City) [SR]
Raïa Haïdar	Femen (New York City) [SR]
Fadi Sakr	Maître de cérémonie (New York City) [SR]
Kwasi Songu	Taxi driver (New York City) [SR]
Guy Sprung	Professor (New York City) [SR]
Nancy Grant	Producer (New York City) [SR]
Alain Dahan	Airport security officer [SR]
Natascha Wiese	Girl

Crew

Activity	Name	Comment
Production accountant	Yolaine Lavigne Possibles Médias	Possibles Médias
Production accountant	Séverine Barré Rectangle Productions	Rectangle Productions
Production accountant	Valérie Delache Rectangle Productions	Rectangle Productions
Assistant production accountant	Elaine Bigras Possibles Médias	Possibles Médias
1st AD	Jeremy Peter Allen Montréal	Montréal
1st AD	Éric Chabot Nazareth	Nazareth
1st AD	Barbara Canale Paris	Paris
2nd AD	Julie Gamache-Maher Montréal	Montréal
2nd AD	Jeanne Tassy Paris	Paris
2nd AD	Reem Jubran Nazareth	Nazareth
3rd AD	Marylou Weber Paris	Paris
3rd AD	Carl Kouri Montréal	Montréal
3rd AD Floor	Ayed Fadel Nazareth	Nazareth
AD PA	Miriam Gazmawe Nazareth	Nazareth
AD PA	Suleiman Hussein Nazareth	Nazareth
AD PA	Danial Naser Nazareth	Nazareth
AD PA	Julian Isaaq Nazareth	Nazareth
AD PA	Odai Masri Nazareth	Nazareth
AD PA	Moody Kabalawi Nazareth	Nazareth
Vfx producer	Sonia Marques Montréal	Montréal
Post production supervisor	Mélanie Karlin
Vfx supervisor	Thomas Duval Paris	Paris
Vfx supervisor	Émilien Lazaron Montréal	Montréal
Director of photography	Sofian El Fani
1st assistant camera	Thomas Handtke l	l
2nd assistant camera	Gerard Martin Montréal	Montréal
2nd assistant camera	Riyad Shamas Nazareth	Nazareth
2nd assistant camera	Paul Günther ALEXA Mini/ ALEXA SXT/ Paris Part	ALEXA Mini/ ALEXA SXT/ Paris Part
Data wrangler / digital loader	Julie Dakwar Nazareth	Nazareth
Data wrangler / digital loader	Adrien Heylen Paris	Paris
Data wrangler / digital loader	Ronald Casseus Montréal	Montréal
Still photographer	Carole Bethuel
Still photographer	Maria Zreik Nazareth	Nazareth
Casting director	Murielle Laferrière Montréal	Montréal
Casting director	Juna Suleiman Nazareth	Nazareth
Casting director	Richard Rousseau Paris	Paris
Casting assistant	Lama Suleiman Nazareth	Nazareth
Casting assistant	Marie-Claude Robitaille Montréal	Montréal
Extras/bit player casting	Amélie Covillard Paris	Paris
Extras/bit player casting	Julie Breton Montréal	Montréal
Extras/bit player casting	Lama Suleiman Nazareth	Nazareth
Extras/bit player casting	Valérie Dias Paris	Paris
Extras/bit player casting	Marine Pédeboscq assistante, Paris	assistante, Paris
Costume designer	Alexia Crisp Jones
Costume designer	Éric Poirier Montréal	Montréal
Assistant costume designer	Irène Bernaud Paris	Paris
Key costumer	Marie-Noëlle Klis Wardrobe Mistress Montréal	Wardrobe Mistress Montréal
Wardrobe	Marie-Claude Dextradeur Key Dresser Montréal	Key Dresser Montréal
Wardrobe	Saher Okal Nazareth	Nazareth
Wardrobe	Chris Issa Nazareth	Nazareth
Wardrobe	Vania Khandjian Montréal	Montréal
Wardrobe	Pauline Juille Paris	Paris
Additional wardrobe	Isabelle Savard extras airport Montréal	extras airport Montréal
Director	Elia Suleiman
Script supervisor	Lou Wildemann France	France
Script continuity	Laurie Mannessier Montréal	Montréal
Script continuity	Elie Rezek Nazareth	Nazareth
Editor	Véronique Lange
Assistant editor	Chrystel Alépée
Key grip	Gal Altshuler Nazareth	Nazareth
Key grip	Morvan Omnes Paris	Paris
Grip	Omer Kvashne Best Boy Grip Nazareth	Best Boy Grip Nazareth
Grip	Stéphane Pilon Montréal	Montréal
Grip	David Nahmani Nazareth	Nazareth
Grip	Julien Gérard Paris	Paris
Grip	Ziv Raviv Nazareth	Nazareth
Grip	Steven McMahon Best Boy Grip Montréal	Best Boy Grip Montréal
Grip	Lukas Nichol Montréal	Montréal
Rigging grip	Jeff Nichol Montréal	Montréal
Crane operator	Daniel Kaluzky Nazareth	Nazareth
Remote head technician	Roy Biberman Nazareth	Nazareth
Gaffer	François Legris Montréal	Montréal
Gaffer	Habib Ben Salem Nazareth & Paris	Nazareth & Paris
Best boy	Nicolas Kitai Nazareth	Nazareth
Best boy	Michael Ohayon Montréal	Montréal
Lighting technician / electrician	Mutaz Ayyad Nazareth	Nazareth
Lighting technician / electrician	Julien Brumauld Paris	Paris
Lighting technician / electrician	Joël Giroux
Lighting technician / electrician	Conrad Roy
Lighting technician / electrician	Henryk Olk Teil Paris , Technik aus Köln 1 Monat	Teil Paris , Technik aus Köln 1 Monat
Lighting technician / electrician	Myriam Pineault Montréal	Montréal
Lighting technician / electrician	Philippe St-Laurent Lévesque
Lighting assistant	Tomer Slotski Nazareth	Nazareth
Key makeup artist/hair stylist	Grit Hildenbrand
Assistant makeup artist	Jomana Salami Nazareth	Nazareth
Assistant makeup artist	Rasha Suleiman Nazareth	Nazareth
Makeup artist	Julia Floch extras, Paris	extras, Paris
Producer	Édouard Weil Rectangle Productions	Rectangle Productions
Producer	Elia Suleiman Nazira Films	Nazira Films
Producer	Laurine Pelassy Rectangle Productions	Rectangle Productions
Co-producer	Serge Noël Possibles Media	Possibles Media
Co-producer	Zeynep Ozbatur Atakan ZeynoFilm	ZeynoFilm
Co-producer	Thanassis Karathanos Pallas Film	Pallas Film
Co-producer	Martin Hampel Pallas Film	Pallas Film
Production designer	David Gaucher
Assistant production designer	Francis Guibet Paris	Paris
Art director	Maha Haj Nazareth	Nazareth
Art director	Caroline Alder Montréal	Montréal
Set decorator	Rabia Salifiti Nazareth	Nazareth
Set decorator	Mary Lynn Deachman Montréal	Montréal
Set decorator	Marion Pagès-Gonzalo Paris	Paris
Set decorator	Elise Deblois Montréal	Montréal
Art department assistant	Assaf Safuri Nazareth	Nazareth
Art department assistant	Hanna Hazan Nazareth	Nazareth
Art department assistant	Sameer Hawa Nazareth	Nazareth
Prop master	Olivier Proulx Montréal	Montréal
Prop master	Véronique Arcuette Montréal	Montréal
Prop master	Frank Pitussi Paris	Paris
Standby props	Bruno La Haye Montréal	Montréal
Standby props	Théophile Ferrier Paris	Paris
Standby props	Hilal Jabareen Nazareth	Nazareth
Art department coordinator	Annette Belanger Montréal	Montréal
Assistant stand by props	Sarah Rose Buchanan 1st Assisstant, Montréal	1st Assisstant, Montréal
Assistant stand by props	Jessica Surendorff 2nd Assistant, Montréal	2nd Assistant, Montréal
Picture car coordinator	Eric Brais Montréal	Montréal
Assistant set decorator	Jocelyne St-Pierre Montréal	Montréal
Location scout	Alexandre Bloch Paris	Paris
Location scout	Dimitri Chalazonitis Paris	Paris
Scenic painter	Francois Touhas Montréal	Montréal
Scenic painter	Laure de Miramon Montréal	Montréal
Property driver	Jean Segura Paris	Paris
Property driver	Bruno Lapassatet Paris	Paris
Line producer	Baher Agbariya Nazareth	Nazareth
Production manager	Serge Catoire Paris	Paris
Production manager	Hiba Salameh Nazareth	Nazareth
Production manager	Michel Croteau Montréal	Montréal
Production coordinator	Sabine Kaps Germany	Germany
Production coordinator	Béatrice Moukhaiber Montréal	Montréal
Assistant production manager	Noémie Robert Rectangle Productions	Rectangle Productions
Assistant production manager	Marine Bocher Rectangle Productions	Rectangle Productions
Unit manager	Eric Lebeau Montréal	Montréal
Location manager	Véronique Mathieu Montréal	Montréal
Location manager	Valentin Tourdjman Paris	Paris
Location manager	Karim Ghneim Nazareth	Nazareth
Set manager/ floor manager	Jean-François Hamelin Montréal	Montréal
Production secretary	Laetitia Dom Paris	Paris
Assistant location manager	Florent Cassiani-Ingoni Paris	Paris
Production assistant	Léo Grignon Paris	Paris
Set runner	Firas Ghrayeb Nazareth	Nazareth
Production driver	Frederic Myre Montréal	Montréal
Production driver	Walter Diaz Montréal	Montréal
Utility driver	Khaled Abu Leil Nazareth	Nazareth
Utility driver	Maxime Péladeau-Mercier Montréal	Montréal
Screenwriter	Elia Suleiman
Production sound mixer	Kai Hesselbarth Vertretung für eine Woche in Nazaret	Vertretung für eine Woche in Nazaret
Production sound mixer	Johannes Doberenz
Boom operator	Kai Hesselbarth
Boom operator	Ibrahim Zaher Nazareth	Nazareth
Sound re-recording mixer	Lars Ginzel
Stunt coordinator	Tyler Hall Montréal	Montréal
Stunt coordinator	Victor Francisco Paris	Paris
Stunt driver	Raphaël Chiquet Biker Paris	Biker Paris
Animal trainer	Pascal Tréguy Paris	Paris
Caterer (cook on set)	Adham Zayad Nazareth	Nazareth
Personal assistant	Sophia Harb Nazareth	Nazareth

Production companies

Company	Comment
Rectangle Productions
Possibles Média Inc. [ca]
Majdal Films [il/ps]
Pallas Film GmbH co-production	co-production
Zeyno Film [tr]
Arte [de/fr] participation	participation
ZDF - Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen [de] participation	participation

Distributing companies

Company	Comment
Le Pacte [fr] France (theatrical)	France (theatrical)
Maison 4:3 [ca] Canada (theatrical)	Canada (theatrical)
Neue Visionen Filmverleih GmbH [de] Germany	Germany
Wild Bunch [fr] International Sales	International Sales

Facilities

Department	Company	Comment
Cameras and Utilities	ARRI Rental Deutschland GmbH
Cameras and Utilities	Griffin Higher Photography [il] Drone Nazareth	Drone Nazareth
Cameras and Utilities	MTL Grandé Camera [ca] Montréal	Montréal
Cameras and Utilities	perDU.film GmbH LAB. DATA. Rental.	LAB. DATA. Rental.
Cameras and Utilities	Utopia Camera Service [il] Tel-Aviv	Tel-Aviv
Grip	Griffin Higher Photography [il] Drone Operator Nazareth	Drone Operator Nazareth
Production Services	Ambr Ltd [il] Nazareth	Nazareth
Production Services	Majdal Production Ltd. [il] Nazareth	Nazareth

Awards

Award winner	Year	Award	Category
Elia Suleiman	2019	Festival de Cannes [fr]	Mention spéciale	Winner
Elia Suleiman	2019	Festival de Cannes - Prix Fipresci [fr]		Winner

Festivals

Year	Country	Festival	Comment
2020	USA	Palm Springs International Film Festival	Awards Buzz: Best International Feature Film nominiert
2019	South Korea	Busan International Film Festival	Sektion: Icons
2019	France	Festival de Cannes	Sélection officielle - Compétition
2019	Germany	Int. Fünf Seen Filmfestival	Reihe: Panorama
2019	Canada	Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF)	Masters

TV-broadcast

Type	Country	Station	Date / Time	Comment
Repeat	France	arte	Wednesday, 18/05/2022, 11.55 PM
First showing	Germany	arte	Wednesday, 18/05/2022, 8.15 PM
Repeat	Belgium	Be TV [be]	Sunday, 18/04/2021, 9.00 AM	Be Ciné
Repeat	Belgium	Be TV [be]	Friday, 09/04/2021, 3.30 PM	Be Ciné
Repeat	Belgium	Be TV [be]	Thursday, 01/04/2021, 4.40 AM	Be Ciné
Repeat	France	OCS [fr]	Saturday, 13/02/2021, 1.55 PM	OCS City
Repeat	France	OCS [fr]	Friday, 05/02/2021, 6.15 PM	OCS City
Repeat	Belgium	Be TV [be]	Monday, 01/02/2021, 7.00 AM	Be 1
Repeat	France	OCS [fr]	Thursday, 28/01/2021, 9.45 PM	OCS City
Repeat	Belgium	Be TV [be]	Sunday, 24/01/2021, 11.45 PM	Be 1
Repeat	Belgium	Be TV [be]	Saturday, 03/10/2020, 6.50 PM	Be Ciné

Show all

Cinema

Type	Country	Date	Comment
Theatre release	Germany	Thursday, 16/01/2020
Theatre release	France	Wednesday, 04/12/2019
Premiere		Friday, 24/05/2019	Festival de Cannes [fr]

Crew United