Nocturne in Black

Nocturne in Black is writer and director Jimmy Keyrouz’s inaugural movie. It’s a heavy but relevant short film that won the Gold Medal at the Student Academy Awards. The film follows Karim, a young man in Syria, who loves playing piano. In the midst of the bombings and destruction of the civil war, Karim plays his piano to calm the children living in the apartment.

But one day militants discover the piano and destroy it. Together with Ziad, a young orphan, Karim works to repair the piano and, in the process, escape his situation.

Nocturne in Black is available to rent or buy on Amazon. The film has limited dialogue so it’s accessible to language-learners, with or without the subtitles.

Vocabulary / مفردات

1:11
ليرة
Lira, Syrian currency

1:18
أنا بعمل الصيانة
I do the maintenance

1:44
بس عشان في غبرة
Just because it’s dusty

4:38
مين عم بعزف؟
Who is playing [the piano]?

7:02
لا تروح مو امن
Don’t go, it isn’t safe

8:15
ما بدك خشب؟
You don’t want wood?

8:58
شو لقيت
What I found

9:06
رح تصلحه؟
Will you fix it?

9:18
البيانو مكسور، من جوا.
The piano is broken from within

10:34
إذا بساعدك، بتعلمني؟
If I help you, will you teach me?

10:42
وعد؟
Promise?

16:31
أنا مش باق
I’m not staying

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