Arab cinema continues to break new ground with a fresh crop of social dramas, several of which depict female empowerment in different forms. These range from the tale of a young woman who fakes being dead so she can leave everything behind, to a rape-revenge thriller titled “Beretta,” just like the semi-automatic pistol used by Suad, its mute protagonist.
Below is a compendium of promising upcoming Arabic-language films in various stages that will be surfacing either at festivals or on streamers.
“Aïcha” Tunisian director Mehdi M. Barsaoui, whose striking 2019 debut “A Son” won a prize in Venice, is now following up with this timely drama inspired by true events about a woman who feels trapped in a small town life without prospects. After miraculously surviving a bus accident in which she’s the sole survivor she flees to Tunis under a new identity. The film, which encapsulates the hopes and desires of a new Tunisian generation, is produced by Cinetelefilms. Sales: The Party Film Sales
“Hijra” Saudi Arabian director Shahad Ameen is following up the success of her feature debut “Scales,” a feminist fable that launched in 2019 from Venice, with “Hijra,” an intimate tale that brings together a grandmother and her granddaughter on a journey “that highlights the role of women from different generations in building Saudi society,” as promotional materials put it. The film is co-produced by producer Abboud Ayyash and line-producer Sayed Abou Haidar, as well as veteran Egyptian producer Mohamed Hefzy through his company Film Clinic. Sales: Film Clinic’s Indie Distribution is handling sales and distribution in the Arab world. CAA is handling North American sales.
“Siwar” This first feature from Saudi director Osama Alkhurayji involves two families – one Turkish, the other Saudi – whose fates become entangled due to a revelation about their newborns. In the film, the swathe of northwest Saudi Arabia that is becoming a burgeoning local film production hub stands in for Najran, a city in southwestern Saudi Arabia near the Yemen border. The drama delves into the dynamics of how the lives of Yaner, a Turkish father played by Serkan Genç (“The Game-Hiyleger Axmaqlar”), and Hamad, a Saudi father played by Fhaid Bin Mohammed, intersect after their sons are swapped at birth. Produced by Omar Said and Alkhurayji through his Riyadh-based Hakawati Entertainment shingle. Sales: TBA
“Across the Sea” This immigration drama by French-Moroccan director Saïd Hamich Benlarbi follows his well received 2017 debut “Return to Bollène.” The story takes place in Marseille, in the South of France, and follows a young Arab immigrant living illegally in the port city who intersects with a charismatic cop. It’s a 1990s-set melodrama laced with Rai, a form of lyrical Algerian folk music. Produced by Benlarbi’s Paris-based banner Barney Production and Manuel Chiche’s company The Jokers. Sales: TBA
“Perfumed With Mint” This allegorical film, which marks the directorial debut of Emmy Award-winning Egyptian cinematographer Muhammed Hamdy (“The Square”) is about a 30-year-old doctor named Alaa who one day receives a visit in his clinic from Mahdy, an old friend who needs help with a strange phenomenon afflicting him—mint is sprouting out of his body. Hamdy has described it as being a story that “represents a generation that is contaminated with doubts about what awaits them.” Produced by Farès Ladjimi’s Paris-based indie Supernova Films. Sales: TBA
“Beretta” Palestinian director Maysaloun Hamoud will direct this long-gestating female revenge thriller written by Qatari-American artist and filmmaker Sophia al-Maria, which turns on a selectively mute woman who is seeking revenge against a stranger who raped her. “Beretta” will be Hamoud’s second feature after her 2016 breakout “In Between” (Bar Bahar), about three Palestinian women sharing an apartment in contemporary Tel Aviv where they contend with religious, sexual and racial issues. Produced by L.A.-based Passage Pictures. Sales: TBA
Source Agencies
