Search Film, Company, People...

SEVEN SECONDS

Drama - Development 2024

Emma, a Peace Sciences student in Pisa, meets Ethan, a former humanitarian journalist. Their connection exposes the murky realities of armed conflicts around the world, challenging their humanitarian beliefs.

- Year of production
- 2024
- Genres
- Drama, True Story, Romance
- Countries
- FRANCE
- Languages
- FRENCH, ENGLISH
- Budget
- 3 - 5 M$
- Duration
- 95 mn
- Synopsis
- In 2000, in Sierra Leone, Ethan, a young aspiring journalist, helplessly witnesses the abduction of young Amina by rebels, a trauma that will deeply scar him. A decade later, in Pisa, Italy, Ethan's path crosses with Emma's, a passionate and idealistic French student in Peace Studies. Their initial meeting is marked by disagreements over the role of humanitarian interventions, but a discovery about Ethan's enigmatic past in Syria starts to bring them closer.
  
  Emma gradually uncovers the complexity of Ethan, a man torn between his ethical convictions and a sincere dedication to Ex Colorificio, an organization providing refuge to clandestine refugees arriving in Europe. Emma becomes deeply involved in this pacifist community that advocates for integration and resource sharing, while Ethan continues to cover conflict zones, often putting his life at risk.
  
  One night at Piazza del Duomo, under the shadow of the leaning tower, Ethan and Emma share their dreams and fears, growing closer despite their differences. The next day, Emma learns that Ethan has left Pisa to join the United Nations in New York, before heading on a mission with Reporters Without Borders in Mali.
  
  In 2013, nearly a year and a half after Ethan's departure, Emma attends a seminar at the Peace Research Institute in Oslo and learns that Ex Colorificio is threatened by the Pisa city council. She returns to Italy and finds Ethan, back from Mali, trying to help save the organization. Despite their efforts, the police shut down the site, triggering a peaceful protest.
  
  During this crisis, Ethan confides his past to Emma. He encourages her not to make the same mistakes and to always remember she is never alone. Ethan gives Emma a photograph as a keepsake, marking a turning point in their relationship.
  
  In 2014, Ethan is in Syria with Doctors Without Borders, helping to evacuate civilians from Homs. Meanwhile, Emma arrives in Paris for a United Nations conference and reunites with Amina, now grown up. Amina shares her experience as the wife of a rebel leader after being kidnapped by the Revolutionary United Front.
  
  In Mali, Ethan and his convoy are attacked by dissidents. Souleymane, one of the group members, reveals to Ethan that he is involved in a terrorist organization out of necessity to support his family. The next day, the group attempts to board a moving train but is spotted by insurgents. Souleymane saves them at the cost of his life.
  
  Back in France, Emma receives an invitation from the United Nations to join their humanitarian program. The bond between Ethan and Emma is tested during the Ex Colorificio crisis, highlighting the strength and fragility of their quest for peace. Confronted with the world's harsh realities and their own inner demons, Ethan and Emma must navigate between hope, disillusionment, and the inevitable question of their future.