Who Do I Belong To (, ) is a drama film, directed by Meryam Joobeur and released in 2024.Kelly Townsend, "Meryam Joobeur, Kazik Radwanski films set for Berlinale". Playback, January 22, 2024. The film stars Salha Nasraoui as Aïcha, a woman in Tunisia whose son returns from fighting in Syria with a mysterious woman, concurrently with a slate of strange disappearances in the village.Eric Lavallée, "2024 Sundance Film Festival Predictions: Meryam Joobeur’s Motherhood". Ion Cinema, November 15, 2023.
The cast also includes Mohamed Hassine Grayaa, Malek Mechergui, Adam Bessa, Dea Liane, Rayen Mechergui, and Chaker Mechergui.Charles-Henri Ramond, "Là d’où l’on vient en compétition à Berlin". Films du Québec, January 22, 2024.
Production The film is an expansion on the themes of Joobeur's 2018 short film Brotherhood (Ikhwène), but features some key story differences, including the gender of the central character. It went into development in 2021, with the working title Motherhood.Frédéric Bouchard, "« Motherhood » de Meryam Joobeur est sélectionné au Sundance Screenwriter’s Lab". Lien Multimédia, January 13, 2021. Joobeur participated in the Sundance Screenwriters' Lab at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival, where she was awarded the $10,000 Sundance Institute/NHK Award toward the film's production.André Duchesne, "Sundance remet une bourse à la cinéaste montréalaise Meryam Joobeur". La Presse, February 3, 2021.
Shooting began in 2022 in Tunisia.Eric Lavallée, "A Bond That Breaks: Meryam Joobeur’s “Motherhood” Readying For Festival Launch in ’23". Ion Cinema, June 20, 2022. In December 2023, the film won a €30,000 post-production grant in the Atlas Workshops program at the Marrakech International Film Festival.Ben Croll, "‘Motherhood,’ ‘The Village Next to Paradise,’ ‘The Magma’ Take Top Prizes at Marrakech Film Festival’s Atlas Workshops". Variety, December 1, 2023.
Release It premiered in competition at the 74th Berlin International Film Festival.Scott Roxborough, "Rooney Mara, Isabelle Huppert, Gael Garcia Bernal Films Set for 2024 Berlinale". The Hollywood Reporter, January 22, 2024. It was screened in the Borsos Competition program at the 2024 Whistler Film Festival.Janet Smith, "Hunting Matthew Nichols and Kryptic among B.C. contingent as Whistler Film Festival unveils Canadian entries". Stir, October 28, 2024. Nasraoui won the award for Best Performance in a Borsos Competition film, while Joobeur and Maxime Mathis won the award for Best Editing in a Borsos Competition Film.Gail Johnson, "Whistler Film Festival announces 2024 award winners". Stir, December 10, 2024.
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