Distributed by
MAD Solutions,
Amira, by
Mohamed Diab, and
Trapped, by
Manal Khaled, shall join the 8
th Palestine Cinema Days (November 3
rd – 8
th). Slated to screen at the Fiction Films category,
Amira is scheduled to have 5 screenings, while
Trapped will have two screenings.
Palestine Cinema Days is an annual film event, organized by
FilmLab Palestine that aims to take the Palestinian filmmaking industry to the international level and promote local and international films to revive cinema culture in Palestine.
About
Amira:
Amira, a 17-year-old Palestinian, was conceived with the smuggled sperm of her imprisoned father,
Nawar. Although their relationship since birth has been restricted to prison visits, he remains her hero. His absence in her life is overcompensated with love and affection from those surrounding her. But when a failed attempt to conceive another child reveals
Nawar’s infertility,
Amira’s world turns upside down.
Recently landing its Arab world premiere at
El Gouna Film Festival,
Amira gained a wide acclaim from critics and audiences alike upon its world premiere at
Venice International Film Festival. It also won 3 awards at the festival;
Lanterna Magica Award, presented by
Cinecircoli Giovanili Socioculturali (CGS), Enrico Fulchignoni Award, presented by
Conseil International du Cinéma,
de la Télévision et de la Communication Audiovisuelle (CICT-UNESCO), and
10th INTERFILM Award for Promoting Interreligious Dialogue.
Amira features a stellar Pan-Arab cast, including
Saba Mubarak, Ali Suliman, and
Tara Abboud, who lands her first cinematic leading role as Amira, as well as
Kais Nashif and
Waleed Zuaiter. The film is written by the trio
Mohamed, Khaled, and
Sherine Diab and edited by
Ahmed Hafez who previously worked with
Mohamed Diab on
Clash film.
The film is produced by
Film Clinic (Mohamed Hefzy), Agora Audiovisuals (Mona Abdelwahab), Acamedia Pictures (Moez Masoud), in co- production with
Taher Media Production (Youssef El Taher) and
The Imaginarium Films (Rula Nasser). Also, Palestinian director
Hany Abu-Assad,
Amira Diab and
Sarah Gohar are the film’s producers,
Hisham El Araby is the executive producer, and
Daniel Ziskind is the associate producer
. The film has previously received fund from
The Royal Film Commission Jordan – RFC.
Pyramide Films is in charge of the international sales, and its marketing is handled by
MAD Solutions, which also handles the film’s distribution across the Arab world along with
Lagoonie Film Production. The Film’s Screening Times
Thursday, November 4
th, 8:00 PM, at Palestinian National Theatre / Al Hakawati, Jerusalem
Saturday, November 6
th, 8:00 PM, The Arab Culture Association, Haifa
Sunday, November 7
th, 7:00 PM, Baladna Youth Hub, Nazareth
Sunday, November 7
th, 8:00 PM, Municipal Theater - Ramallah City Hall,
Sunday, November 7
th, 8:00 PM, President Putin Palestinian Organization, Bethlehem
About
Trapped:
Trapped revolves around a group of women coming from different social backgrounds who find themselves trapped within their own quest for freedom. The film tackles the broader sense of entrapment, how sometimes it is self-imposed, and how we can be prisoners of our own thoughts other than concrete walls and chains.
The women share the same dream of change, of breaking-free from the social norm, however their personal differences affect their level of awareness, openness, how they express themselves and how they rebel.
Recently,
Trapped was screened at
Karama Human Rights Film Festival, Beirut, and at the opening of
Amman International Film Festival. It world premiered in the Global section of the
South By Southwest Festival, USA
, to become the only Arab film screened at the American festival and the first Egyptian one in ten years. Prior to that, it was screened for 13 minutes at
El Gouna Film Festival as part of efforts to raise funds for the film. After that the creators of the film launched a fundraising campaign for Trapped on i
ndiegogo website. At the beginning of the shooting in 2011, the film’s creators encountered obstacles, in regards of production, which resulted in pausing the shooting more than once where no production company was available to go for the film.
Trapped is directed and produced by
Manal Khaled. Screen Play by
Manal Khaled and
Rasha Azab.
Trapped stars
Caroline Khalil, Reem Higab, Osama Abo Al Ata, Ne’ma Mohsen, Mona Mokhtar, Tharaa Goubail, Rajwa Hamed, Zeina Mansour,
Habiba Effat and
Fadel El Garhy. MAD Solutions is in charge of the film’s distribution across the Arab world.
The Film’s Screening Times
Friday, November 5
th, 8:00 PM, Palestinian National Theatre / Al Hakawati, Jerusalem
Saturday, November 6
th, 7:00 PM, Baladna Youth Hub, Nazareth