Atla

Meditative registration of a walking trip through the heart of the desolate Sinai peninsula. A Western woman, two Bedouins and two heavily packed camels cross the savage and rugged landscape. The blue sky contrasts sharply with the ochre mountains. The panoramas are breathtaking. Using long observing shots, the camera closely follows the tour party. A camel stumbles on a narrow path on the edge of a ravine, but it ends well. A little further, a large skeleton bears witness to a less fortunate outcome. 'May God protect you', is a repeatedly muttered wish around the campfire. The white woman shows her fellow travellers pictures from Holland, a country that is very green, has a lot of water and seems inconceivably remote. The woman has physical problems, so they pause for a bit. Flies are buzzing. A camel chews on a piece of cardboard. A Bedouin shakes out a freshly baked loaf of bread, makes tea and turns to the Supreme Being. Then, the journey continues across the Sinai, landscape with a heavily burdened past. Silence, emptiness.