The international scope and grueling human cost of the global refugee crisis lends itself to contemporary epic filmmaking of a particularly sober stripe, as seen mostly recently in Agnieszka Holland’s “Green Border” and Matteo Garrone’s Oscar-nominated “Io Capitano.” Shorn of their ripped-from-the-headlines urgency, such stories of humans crossing vast distances and facing hostile odds in pursuit of a better life are as old as time itself. A muscular, assured debut feature from U.S. producer-turned-director Brandt Andersen, “The Strangers’ Case” stresses the sprawling scale of the situation with a chaptered structure that pivots between multiple involved parties in the refugee’s journey, from warmongers to traffickers to rescuers to the displaced victims themselves.
That wide span, however, prevents a particularly penetrating look at any individual experience of the crisis. Brandt draws his characters in broad, flat strokes that serve the architecture of the narrative — and its cumulative, practically...
That wide span, however, prevents a particularly penetrating look at any individual experience of the crisis. Brandt draws his characters in broad, flat strokes that serve the architecture of the narrative — and its cumulative, practically...
- 2/25/2024
- by Guy Lodge
- Variety Film + TV
The line between art and activism is blurred — often to a fault — in The Strangers’ Case, a visceral migrant drama that plays less as a movie with a message than as a message with a movie.
Written and directed by Brandt Andersen, an executive producer (American Made, Everest), former NBA G League franchise owner and international activist, the film follows several characters whose lives are upended by the Syrian Civil War, switching points of view as it moves from the grim battlegrounds of Aleppo to the gates of Europe.
It can be an intense experience to sit through, and Andersen doesn’t hold back on the gruesome violence and nonstop tragedy many migrants suffered during the conflict — and continue to suffer to this day. But that doesn’t always make for great drama, nor for characters who go deep enough, resulting in a well-meaning film that feels half like a globetrotting Hollywood thriller,...
Written and directed by Brandt Andersen, an executive producer (American Made, Everest), former NBA G League franchise owner and international activist, the film follows several characters whose lives are upended by the Syrian Civil War, switching points of view as it moves from the grim battlegrounds of Aleppo to the gates of Europe.
It can be an intense experience to sit through, and Andersen doesn’t hold back on the gruesome violence and nonstop tragedy many migrants suffered during the conflict — and continue to suffer to this day. But that doesn’t always make for great drama, nor for characters who go deep enough, resulting in a well-meaning film that feels half like a globetrotting Hollywood thriller,...
- 2/23/2024
- by Jordan Mintzer
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
UK sales outfit Mister Smith Entertainment has boarded international sales on The Strangers’ Case, with WME Independent overseeing North American sales, ahead of its world premiere as a Berlinale Special Gala.
Yasmine Al Massri, Yahya Mahayni, Omar Sy, Ziad Bakri, Constantine Markoulakis and Jason Beghe star in the feature directorial debut of veteran US producer Brandt Andersen, whose credits include Everest, Lone Survivor and Broken City.
Tragedy strikes a Syrian family in Aleppo, starting a chain reaction of events involving five different families in four different countries. The drama interweaves personal stories to illuminate the bravery and heartbreak of the refugee experience.
Yasmine Al Massri, Yahya Mahayni, Omar Sy, Ziad Bakri, Constantine Markoulakis and Jason Beghe star in the feature directorial debut of veteran US producer Brandt Andersen, whose credits include Everest, Lone Survivor and Broken City.
Tragedy strikes a Syrian family in Aleppo, starting a chain reaction of events involving five different families in four different countries. The drama interweaves personal stories to illuminate the bravery and heartbreak of the refugee experience.
- 1/26/2024
- ScreenDaily
Dubai-based Front Row Productions has come on board Jordanian director and producer Zaid Abu Hamdan’s second feature Boomah about a female street thug.
The company, a joint venture between Mena distributors Front Row Filmed Entertainment and Empire Entertainment, is joining forces with Bounce Productions, the film and TV company created by producer Ahmad Abu Koush in 2022.
Boomah will be Abu Hamdan’s second feature after award-winning 2021 drama Daughters of Abdul-Rahman, which world premiered at the Cairo Film Festival, where it won the Audience Award, and then played multiple festivals including the Red Sea Film Festival.
The production has also announced that Jordanian actress Rakeen Saad, who starred in Netflix show AlRawabi School for Girls and Mbc Shahid’s The Giza Killer, will play the lead role of Boomah.
Originally announced under the title The Zarqa Girl at the project stage, the production is a described as crime thriller set...
The company, a joint venture between Mena distributors Front Row Filmed Entertainment and Empire Entertainment, is joining forces with Bounce Productions, the film and TV company created by producer Ahmad Abu Koush in 2022.
Boomah will be Abu Hamdan’s second feature after award-winning 2021 drama Daughters of Abdul-Rahman, which world premiered at the Cairo Film Festival, where it won the Audience Award, and then played multiple festivals including the Red Sea Film Festival.
The production has also announced that Jordanian actress Rakeen Saad, who starred in Netflix show AlRawabi School for Girls and Mbc Shahid’s The Giza Killer, will play the lead role of Boomah.
Originally announced under the title The Zarqa Girl at the project stage, the production is a described as crime thriller set...
- 12/5/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Pan Middle East and North African film distributor Front Row Filmed Entertainment has promoted staffers Nicolas Torloting, Carine Chaiban and Elie Touma to partners.
The trio originally joined the Dubai-based company in early 2019 as part of a revamp.
Torloting is currently Front Row’s COO, while Chaiban heads post-theatrical sales and Touma is in charge of Acquisitions & Theatrical Distribution.
“It’s been and is an absolute joy to work with the guys who fully understand and support the Front Row vision and have been vital to the company’s expansion in both the distribution and production arena,” said Front Row founer and CEO Gianluca Chakra
Launched by Chakra, Front Row has successfully navigated the fast-changing Mena market over the past two decades to become one of the leading distributors in the region.
It was the first Mena distributor to premiere films day & date during the Covid pandemic and curate collections...
The trio originally joined the Dubai-based company in early 2019 as part of a revamp.
Torloting is currently Front Row’s COO, while Chaiban heads post-theatrical sales and Touma is in charge of Acquisitions & Theatrical Distribution.
“It’s been and is an absolute joy to work with the guys who fully understand and support the Front Row vision and have been vital to the company’s expansion in both the distribution and production arena,” said Front Row founer and CEO Gianluca Chakra
Launched by Chakra, Front Row has successfully navigated the fast-changing Mena market over the past two decades to become one of the leading distributors in the region.
It was the first Mena distributor to premiere films day & date during the Covid pandemic and curate collections...
- 12/4/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Untamed Talent, a management and production company led by former Mister Smith Entertainment executive Antone Saliba, is launching with the backing of Dubai-based Front Row Productions, a joint venture of leading Middle East distribution companies Front Row Filmed Entertainment and Empire Entertainment.
Front Row Productions will provide capital and strategic value to support Untamed Talent’s goals to innovate new business models covering the South West Asia and North Africa region, the fastest-growing entertainment market in the world. The focus will be not only on representing filmmakers from established Middle East industry hubs of Egypt and Saudi, it will also identify, develop and promote talent from traditionally underrepresented countries within the region such as Jordan, Morocco, Syria, Afghanistan, Turkey and Iran.
Untamed will work on a non-exclusive basis with all production and distribution parties in the region, as well as U.S. and international studios and streamers to maximize opportunities for its clients.
Front Row Productions will provide capital and strategic value to support Untamed Talent’s goals to innovate new business models covering the South West Asia and North Africa region, the fastest-growing entertainment market in the world. The focus will be not only on representing filmmakers from established Middle East industry hubs of Egypt and Saudi, it will also identify, develop and promote talent from traditionally underrepresented countries within the region such as Jordan, Morocco, Syria, Afghanistan, Turkey and Iran.
Untamed will work on a non-exclusive basis with all production and distribution parties in the region, as well as U.S. and international studios and streamers to maximize opportunities for its clients.
- 12/1/2023
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Ganapath Teaser: Tiger Shroff and Amitabh Bachchan’s Dystopian Action Thriller is a Visual Spectacle
The wait is finally over! The much-anticipated teaser of Ganapath, the upcoming dystopian action thriller starring Tiger Shroff, Kriti Sanon and Amitabh Bachchan, has been released today and it has left the fans awestruck. The teaser gives a glimpse of the futuristic world where Ganapath, played by Tiger Shroff, is a vigilante who fights against a powerful criminal empire that has terrorized the city. The teaser also reveals the look of Amitabh Bachchan, who plays a pivotal role in the film.
The teaser begins with a voiceover saying “2070 Ad flashes on screen. The world they live in is a world without hope and mercy.” The screen then shows a chaotic and violent cityscape where people are running for their lives. Amidst the chaos, we see Ganapath standing in a ring with his arms crossed, looking calm and confident. He is surrounded by cheering crowds who chant his name. The voiceover continues “Do not look back,...
The teaser begins with a voiceover saying “2070 Ad flashes on screen. The world they live in is a world without hope and mercy.” The screen then shows a chaotic and violent cityscape where people are running for their lives. Amidst the chaos, we see Ganapath standing in a ring with his arms crossed, looking calm and confident. He is surrounded by cheering crowds who chant his name. The voiceover continues “Do not look back,...
- 9/30/2023
- by CineArticles Editorial Team
- https://thecinemanews.online/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/IMG_4649
Leading French producer Michael Gentile’s Paris-based outfit The Film is about to start shooting Julie Delpy’s next directorial outing, “The Barbarians,” and Laurence Arné’s “Les Hennedricks” starring Dany Boon.
Delpy’s comeback to French filmmaking since “Lolo,” “The Barbarians” is a satirical comedy unfolding in a small town in Brittany which is preparing to welcome Ukrainian refugees after voting unanimously to greet them in exchange for subsidies from the government. But instead of seeing Ukrainians come into town, they see Syrian refugees, causing some tensions among locals and testing their liberal beliefs. Delpy will star in the film opposite Sandrine Kiberlain (“Mademoiselle Chambon”), Laurent Lafitte (“Elle”) and Ziad Bakri (“The Weekend Away”), India Hair (“Angry Annie”), Mathieu Demy (“The Bureau”) and Delpy’s father Albert Delpy.
Delpy penned the script with Matthieu Rumani (“Family Business”), in collaboration with Lea Domenech (“Bernadette”). “The Barbarians” will start filming on...
Delpy’s comeback to French filmmaking since “Lolo,” “The Barbarians” is a satirical comedy unfolding in a small town in Brittany which is preparing to welcome Ukrainian refugees after voting unanimously to greet them in exchange for subsidies from the government. But instead of seeing Ukrainians come into town, they see Syrian refugees, causing some tensions among locals and testing their liberal beliefs. Delpy will star in the film opposite Sandrine Kiberlain (“Mademoiselle Chambon”), Laurent Lafitte (“Elle”) and Ziad Bakri (“The Weekend Away”), India Hair (“Angry Annie”), Mathieu Demy (“The Bureau”) and Delpy’s father Albert Delpy.
Delpy penned the script with Matthieu Rumani (“Family Business”), in collaboration with Lea Domenech (“Bernadette”). “The Barbarians” will start filming on...
- 5/19/2023
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
After a great success of their short film “Mare Nostrum” (2016) which bagged 36 awards internationally, Syrian directors Rana Kazkaz and Anas Khalaf unite again, this time for their long-feature debut “The Translator” which celebrates its world premiere in the First Feature Competition of PÖFF (Tallinn Black Nights).
“The Translator” is screening at Vesoul International Film Festival of Asian Cinema
The brilliant Ziad Bakri of “Mare Nostrum” is the titular character Sami Najjar, a man whose calm life in Australia comes to an end when his brother Zaid gets arrested by Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Damascus. With scary prospects of losing his third close family member after mother and father, Sami makes a dangerous decision of flying over to Syria. He is known and not welcome back due an incident he was responsible for, and the trip needs a careful preparation involving crossing the border in an unorthodox way.
The...
“The Translator” is screening at Vesoul International Film Festival of Asian Cinema
The brilliant Ziad Bakri of “Mare Nostrum” is the titular character Sami Najjar, a man whose calm life in Australia comes to an end when his brother Zaid gets arrested by Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Damascus. With scary prospects of losing his third close family member after mother and father, Sami makes a dangerous decision of flying over to Syria. He is known and not welcome back due an incident he was responsible for, and the trip needs a careful preparation involving crossing the border in an unorthodox way.
The...
- 3/4/2023
- by Marina D. Richter
- AsianMoviePulse
Current B-grade thrillers so frequently have too little plot — often not much more than a starting premise — that it’s almost refreshing to see something like “The Weekend Away,” which has many more narrative complications than it can pull off. Certainly not with sufficient credibility, suspense or atmosphere, and not in one hectic hour and a half. Nonetheless, this Netflix original plunging Leighton Meester into peril on a Croatian holiday is fast-moving enough to provide a decent night’s disposable home entertainment for viewers whose expectations aren’t geared any higher.
Director Kim Farrant’s last two features both involved suspicions cast on unstable adults over missing children. Whereas in “Weekend’s” missing person scenario, our protagonist is pretty much the sole character who doesn’t end up looking guilty of something or other. London-based American Beth (Meester) arrives in Split for a long-planned getaway with old pal Kate (Christina Wolfe...
Director Kim Farrant’s last two features both involved suspicions cast on unstable adults over missing children. Whereas in “Weekend’s” missing person scenario, our protagonist is pretty much the sole character who doesn’t end up looking guilty of something or other. London-based American Beth (Meester) arrives in Split for a long-planned getaway with old pal Kate (Christina Wolfe...
- 3/4/2022
- by Dennis Harvey
- Variety Film + TV
"The Weekend Away" on Netflix keeps you guessing the whole way through. The Netflix thriller is about two best friends who take a weekend trip to Croatia, but things go awry when one of them turns up murdered. The movie will have you questioning every character as you try to figure out who is guilty of murder. In the end, it comes down to a twist, because of course it does. If you want to skip to the end to find out what happens - whether you plan to watch the movie or not - here's everything you need to know.
How Does "The Weekend Away" Start?
Beth (Leighton Meester) just had a baby with her husband, Rob (Luke Norris), and her relationship with her best friend Kate (Christina Wolfe) has sorta fallen to the wayside. They decide to take a girls' trip to Croatia for the weekend and have some fun.
How Does "The Weekend Away" Start?
Beth (Leighton Meester) just had a baby with her husband, Rob (Luke Norris), and her relationship with her best friend Kate (Christina Wolfe) has sorta fallen to the wayside. They decide to take a girls' trip to Croatia for the weekend and have some fun.
- 3/4/2022
- by Hedy Phillips
- Popsugar.com
"Did you lose something?" "My friend." Netflix has revealed the official trailer for a new "edge-of-your-seat thriller" titled The Weekend Away, about a trip-gone-wrong in Croatia. Ah man, don't make Croatia look scary, too! I've always wanted to visit. A weekend getaway to Croatia goes awry when a woman (Leighton Meester) is accused of killing her best friend (Christina Wolfe) and her efforts to get to the truth uncover a painful secret. From that description this sounds like a thriller version of the Amanda Knox story, which was already turned into the Matt Damon film Stillwater from last year. In addition to Meester & Wolfe, the cast includes Ziad Bakri, Luke Norris, and Amar Bukvic. This looks extra cheesy, with all the partying and all the on-the-run scenes. They're just rehashing this same story and setting it in another country again. Here's the official trailer for Kim Farrant's The Weekend Getaway,...
- 2/9/2022
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
The Queen B is back! Fans got a sneak peak at Leighton Meester's new Netflix physiological thriller The Weekend Away when the streaming service shared some first look photos on Wednesday, Feb. 2. Although the pics don't reveal too much of the plot, according the film's official synopsis, Leighton stars as a woman who is accused of killing her best friend while on a weekend getaway to Croatia. In an effort to clear her name, she discovers a painful truth. In one shot, Leighton sits in the passenger seat of a car alongside co-star Ziad Bakri. In another, their characters are running down stairs as they appear to be chased. The movie, which is based on the novel of the...
- 2/2/2022
- E! Online
Watching a brazen kidnapping stirs a man to immediate action. Directed by Rana Kazkaz and Anas Khala, The Translator tells the story of Sami (Ziad Bakri), who fled war-torn Syria and has established a new life as a political exile in Australia. Upon learning that his brother has been kidnapped back in Syria by the merciless Assad regime, he must decide what to do. The clip gets right to the point, illustrating the perilous dilemma. It's one thing to be told about such an event, after all, but quite another to see it actually happening. Sami weighs the advice that he is given in the clip, and then swifts decides upon his own course of action. The Translator will be available to watch via all...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
- 1/31/2022
- Screen Anarchy
"So, Sami, where should I take you?" "Home." Launch Releasing has unveiled the new official US trailer for The Translator, a Syrian-French-Swiss-Belgian-Qatari co-production that first premiered at film festivals last year. It's opening in the US on VOD starting next February. A riveting thriller about an Arabic-English translator for the 2000 Olympics in Australia, who's forced into exile after a fateful mistranslation. He must return to Syria years later after his activist brother goes missing during the Arab Spring. Ziad Bakri stars as Sami, who returns to Syria more than a decade after going into political exile in Australia, to try and find and save his brother at the start of the Syrian revolution. The cast also includes Yumna Marwan, David Field, Sawsan Arsheed, Miranda Tapsell, Fares Helou, and Reem Ali. Whoa this looks intense. And not at all what I was expecting from that intro. A serious thriller with a strong emotional core.
- 12/8/2021
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
“Gossip Girl” actor Leighton Meester is set to star in Netflix’s twisty thriller “The Weekend Away,” an adaptation of the novel by Sarah Alderson.
The psychological thriller takes place amid weekend getaway to Croatia that goes awry when a woman is accused of killing her best friend. As she attempts to clear her name and uncover the truth, her efforts unearth a painful secret.
Along with Meester, the cast includes “Batwoman” actor Christina Wolfe, Ziad Bakri and Luke Norris.
Alderson is adapting the screenplay, with Kim Farrant set to direct.
“I am so excited to see ‘The Weekend Away’ make it to the screen,” Alderson said in a statement. “To have adapted my own novel makes it even more special, and I am thrilled that Leighton will be bringing this character to life.”
A prolific author, Alderson has published 20 books throughout her career such as the best-selling young adult novels “Hunting Lila,...
The psychological thriller takes place amid weekend getaway to Croatia that goes awry when a woman is accused of killing her best friend. As she attempts to clear her name and uncover the truth, her efforts unearth a painful secret.
Along with Meester, the cast includes “Batwoman” actor Christina Wolfe, Ziad Bakri and Luke Norris.
Alderson is adapting the screenplay, with Kim Farrant set to direct.
“I am so excited to see ‘The Weekend Away’ make it to the screen,” Alderson said in a statement. “To have adapted my own novel makes it even more special, and I am thrilled that Leighton will be bringing this character to life.”
A prolific author, Alderson has published 20 books throughout her career such as the best-selling young adult novels “Hunting Lila,...
- 6/8/2021
- by Rebecca Rubin
- Variety Film + TV
Feature is set in the early days of the Syrian revolution.
Los Angeles-based distributor Launch Releasing has acquired US rights to Syrian political thriller The Translator by Rana Kazkaz and Anas Khalaf.
Paris-based sales company Charades handles sales.
Ziad Bakri stars as a Syrian Arabic-English translator who is living in exile outside of his native country as its popular uprising begins to bubble up in early 2011. On learning that his brother has been arrested, he risks everything to return home to find him.
It is the debut feature of directorial duo Rana Kazkaz and Anas Khalaf, who were living in...
Los Angeles-based distributor Launch Releasing has acquired US rights to Syrian political thriller The Translator by Rana Kazkaz and Anas Khalaf.
Paris-based sales company Charades handles sales.
Ziad Bakri stars as a Syrian Arabic-English translator who is living in exile outside of his native country as its popular uprising begins to bubble up in early 2011. On learning that his brother has been arrested, he risks everything to return home to find him.
It is the debut feature of directorial duo Rana Kazkaz and Anas Khalaf, who were living in...
- 2/25/2021
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- ScreenDaily
The macro politics of Syria meet the personal story of exile in this impressive debut from writer/directors Rana Kazkaz and Anas Khalaf that is carefully poised between family drama and thriller. The directors bring us up to speed with the life of Sami Najjar (Ziad Bakri) at pace, showing him, in 1980, becoming witness to the "disappearance" of his father at the hands of the police. Twenty years later, it is he who faces an existential threat when he makes a mistake at the Sydney Olympics that will lead to political exile from his homeland. The prologue serves not only as an introduction to Sami but also an indicator of the ongoing turbulence in Syria as, now in 2011, we catch up with Sami as the Middle East is in the middle of the Arab Spring.
Now married to Julie (Miranda Tapsell, probably best known to UK audiences from indie romcom [film]Top End.
Now married to Julie (Miranda Tapsell, probably best known to UK audiences from indie romcom [film]Top End.
- 12/3/2020
- by Amber Wilkinson
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
After a great success of their short film “Mare Nostrum” (2016) which bagged 36 awards internationally, Syrian directors Rana Kazkaz and Anas Khalaf unite again, this time for their long-feature debut “The Translator” which celebrates its world premiere in the First Feature Competition of PÖFF (Tallinn Black Nights).
The brilliant Ziad Bakri of “Mare Nostrum” is the titular character Sami Najjar, a man whose calm life in Australia comes to an end when his brother Zaid gets arrested by Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Damascus. With scary prospects of losing his third close family member after mother and father, Sami makes a dangerous decision of flying over to Syria. He is known and not welcome back due an incident he was responsible for, and the trip needs a careful preparation involving crossing the border in an unorthodox way.
The story is set in March of 2011, at the beginning of the revolution in...
The brilliant Ziad Bakri of “Mare Nostrum” is the titular character Sami Najjar, a man whose calm life in Australia comes to an end when his brother Zaid gets arrested by Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Damascus. With scary prospects of losing his third close family member after mother and father, Sami makes a dangerous decision of flying over to Syria. He is known and not welcome back due an incident he was responsible for, and the trip needs a careful preparation involving crossing the border in an unorthodox way.
The story is set in March of 2011, at the beginning of the revolution in...
- 11/20/2020
- by Marina D. Richter
- AsianMoviePulse
Company releases first image for The Macaluso Sisters and Kirill Serebrennikov’s Petrov’s Flu.
Paris-based company Charades has boarded world sales on Sicilian director Emma Dante’s Palermo-set feature The Macaluso Sisters, about a group of tightly-knit sisters whose lives are marked forever by the death of one of them in a tragic beach accident.
The feature is an adaptation of Dante’s 2014 play of the same name which has toured her native Italy as well as Europe and the Us to critical acclaim in recent years. It is a second fiction feature for Dante after debut film A...
Paris-based company Charades has boarded world sales on Sicilian director Emma Dante’s Palermo-set feature The Macaluso Sisters, about a group of tightly-knit sisters whose lives are marked forever by the death of one of them in a tragic beach accident.
The feature is an adaptation of Dante’s 2014 play of the same name which has toured her native Italy as well as Europe and the Us to critical acclaim in recent years. It is a second fiction feature for Dante after debut film A...
- 2/18/2020
- by 1100388¦Melanie Goodfellow¦0¦
- ScreenDaily
Includes new films from Ann Hui, Mohamed Diab and Kaouther Ben Hania.Asia
Love After Love (China)
Dir. Ann Hui
Hong Kong filmmaker Ann Hui revisits the work of Eileen Chang with this adaptation of 1943 novella Aloeswood Incense about a young woman from Shanghai who heads to Hong Kong to continue her studies, but ends up working for her aunt, seducing rich and powerful men. The cast features Eddie Peng, Ma Sichun and Faye Yu. Hui is regularly feted on the Asian festival circuit but has not been selected for an A-list European event since 2011 when A Simple Life played in competition in Venice.
Love After Love (China)
Dir. Ann Hui
Hong Kong filmmaker Ann Hui revisits the work of Eileen Chang with this adaptation of 1943 novella Aloeswood Incense about a young woman from Shanghai who heads to Hong Kong to continue her studies, but ends up working for her aunt, seducing rich and powerful men. The cast features Eddie Peng, Ma Sichun and Faye Yu. Hui is regularly feted on the Asian festival circuit but has not been selected for an A-list European event since 2011 when A Simple Life played in competition in Venice.
- 1/14/2020
- by 1100388¦Melanie Goodfellow¦0¦¬134¦Jean Noh¦516¦
- ScreenDaily
It is the third feature by Egyptian director Mohamed Diab after ’678’ and ’Clash’.
Paris-based Pyramide International has acquired international rights to Mohamed Diab’s coming of age drama Amira, excluding Arab-language territories and Israel. CAA Media Finance is handling Us rights.
The film wrapped shooting in Jordan this week.
Sister company Pyramide Films will handle the French release, having previously handled Diab’s Clash and 678.
The Palestine-set drama marks the feature debut of actress Tara Abboud who stars as a bubbly 17-year-old who has grown-up believing she was conceived with the smuggled sperm of her imprisoned father.
Her sense of...
Paris-based Pyramide International has acquired international rights to Mohamed Diab’s coming of age drama Amira, excluding Arab-language territories and Israel. CAA Media Finance is handling Us rights.
The film wrapped shooting in Jordan this week.
Sister company Pyramide Films will handle the French release, having previously handled Diab’s Clash and 678.
The Palestine-set drama marks the feature debut of actress Tara Abboud who stars as a bubbly 17-year-old who has grown-up believing she was conceived with the smuggled sperm of her imprisoned father.
Her sense of...
- 12/19/2019
- by 1100388¦Melanie Goodfellow¦0¦
- ScreenDaily
Debuting director-writer Bassam Jarbawi has a great theme with “Screwdriver” and a slick filmmaking style, though at times the surface gets more attention than what’s underneath. Set in the semipermanent Al-Amari Refugee Camp on the Ramallah outskirts, the film tackles the difficulties a man faces in returning to normal life after 15 years in an Israeli prison, exploring the physical and emotional toll that trauma and lost time extract from his damaged psyche. Side characters are unevenly drawn but the more complex lead role, nicely played by Ziad Bakri (“Personal Affairs”), gives it a genuine, affecting core. “Screwdriver” is likely to get a fair amount of rotation on the festival circuit.
Jarbawi’s time at Columbia University’s film school shows with his choice of American Dp David McFarland (“The Ballad of Lefty Brown”) and co-editor Christopher Radcliff, together with his tendency toward quickly played-out scenes that are invariably polished...
Jarbawi’s time at Columbia University’s film school shows with his choice of American Dp David McFarland (“The Ballad of Lefty Brown”) and co-editor Christopher Radcliff, together with his tendency toward quickly played-out scenes that are invariably polished...
- 9/12/2018
- by Jay Weissberg
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Here’s first footage of Palestinian drama Screwdriver (Mafak), which is playing at Venice and Toronto.
Ziad Bakri stars as a promising young basketball star now nearing middle age after a long prison stint for the controversial attempted murder of an Israeli settler. Shrihari Sathe (Beach Rats) produces with actress-producer Yasmine Qaddumi. Writer-director Bassam Jarbawi makes his feature debut. DoP is David McFarland (The Ballad Of Lefty Brown).
The pic debuts in Venice Days competition and closes Tiff’s Discovery program. The film was supported by Doha Film Institute, Arab Fund for Arts and Culture and Sundance Institute.
Ziad Bakri stars as a promising young basketball star now nearing middle age after a long prison stint for the controversial attempted murder of an Israeli settler. Shrihari Sathe (Beach Rats) produces with actress-producer Yasmine Qaddumi. Writer-director Bassam Jarbawi makes his feature debut. DoP is David McFarland (The Ballad Of Lefty Brown).
The pic debuts in Venice Days competition and closes Tiff’s Discovery program. The film was supported by Doha Film Institute, Arab Fund for Arts and Culture and Sundance Institute.
- 9/7/2018
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Stars: Ziad Bakri, Mimi Denissi, Louis-Do de Lencquesaing, Yannis Stankoglou, Laurène Brun, Gwendoline Hamon, Yiorgos Gallos, Theodoros Kandiliotis, Andreas Marianos, Sarah Krebs | Written and Directed by Joyce A. Nashawati
In the sun-scorched Greece of the near future, immigrant Ashraf house-sits a fancy villa (plus cat) while its rich owners are away. After a testy greeting from his employers and a rough start with a border cop, the stage is almost certainly set for a showdown of some variety. Well, excessive heat always makes me extra grumpy too.
While there’s no sign of any immediate danger to Ashraf – nor any traditional horror or thriller movie cinematography or audio cues to suggest it might be on the way either – the atmosphere is there from the outset; oppressive, dusty and unforgiving, like a slightly pre-apocalyptic Greek Mad Max. The constant chirruping of desert wildlife is a fine stand in for a horror movie score,...
In the sun-scorched Greece of the near future, immigrant Ashraf house-sits a fancy villa (plus cat) while its rich owners are away. After a testy greeting from his employers and a rough start with a border cop, the stage is almost certainly set for a showdown of some variety. Well, excessive heat always makes me extra grumpy too.
While there’s no sign of any immediate danger to Ashraf – nor any traditional horror or thriller movie cinematography or audio cues to suggest it might be on the way either – the atmosphere is there from the outset; oppressive, dusty and unforgiving, like a slightly pre-apocalyptic Greek Mad Max. The constant chirruping of desert wildlife is a fine stand in for a horror movie score,...
- 2/8/2017
- by Joel Harley
- Nerdly
★★★☆☆ Maha Haj debuts in Un Certain Regard with Personal Affairs, a gently mocking comedy of familial and personal relationships set in modern day Palestine. In Nazareth, an old couple Nabeela (Sana Shawahdeh) and Saleh (Mahmoud Shawahdeh) potter through their days to the sound of her knitting needles and soap operas and his internet found titbits of fascinating knowledge. Saleh has grown increasingly worried by Nabeela's self-isolation and wants to lure her on a holiday with the excuse of visiting their son Hisham (Ziad Bakri) in Sweden, hoping to break out of the impasse.
- 5/13/2016
- by CineVue UK
- CineVue
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.