Ji.hlava New Visions Award Winner Karim Akalay Mixes Magic With ‘Anti-Social Realism’ in ‘6TM’: ‘It’s About Collective Strength Rather Than One Hero’

Karim Akalay’s “6TM” won the New Visions Award for the most promising European project at Ji.hlava Documentary Film Festival. Variety spoke to Akalay at the festival. Set during a scorching summer at Brussels’ largest housing estate, Cité Modèle, the story follows three intertwining narratives within one family. Two kids chase a magic key to prevent […] Ji.hlava New Visions Award winner Karim Akalay mixes magic and realism in his family comedy ‘6TM’ set in one of the biggest housing estate in Brussels Karim Akalay’s “6TM” won the New Visions Award for the most promising European project at Ji.hlava Documentary Film Festival.

Variety spoke to Akalay at the festival. Set during a scorching summer at Brussels’ largest housing estate, Cité Modèle, the story follows three intertwining narratives within one family. Two kids chase a magic key to prevent their friend, who uses a wheelchair, from being forced out due to broken elevators. A teenage girl assembles a team of misfits to compete in a soccer tournament. A mother rallies her neighbors to uncover who stole the rain. The team describes it as a “Belgian family comedy in three chapters, rooted in magic realism and the resilience of a community.” “Cité Modèle, one of