Nine-year-old Bedouin boy Jarah trains for a legendary camel race, carrying his family’s hopes on his small shoulders.

In the Sinai desert, within sight of Sharm el-Sheikh’s glittering resorts, nine-year-old Bedouin boy Jarah faces a very different future. His family sends him to camel herder Mohamed to train as a jockey for Zalaga, the region’s most prestigious camel race. Victory promises honour for his family and freedom for the boy.

Beginning nine months before the race, the film follows Jarah through a childhood shaped by adult expectations. Each year, camel herders seek out small, agile boys whose families, in exchange for money, send them to train camps without knowing when they will return. Jarah’s new friend Ibrahim is already too heavy to compete here, growing up can mean losing your chance.

French director-cinematographer Loup Bureau brings us close to the boys while capturing the striking contrasts of their surroundings: sweeping desert landscapes, distant resort lights and planes arriving overhead. Spectacular races, men’s dances and celebratory gunfire frame an intimate portrait of friendship and childhood within a world governed by pride and tradition.

Marianna Kaat