Distributed by MAD Solutions

Amira and Trapped Screen at Palestine Cinema Days

03 November 2021:

Distributed by MAD Solutions, Amira, by Mohamed Diab, and Trapped, by Manal Khaled, shall join the 8th Palestine Cinema Days (November 3rd – 8th). 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 4th, 8:00 PM, at Palestinian National Theatre / Al Hakawati, Jerusalem
Saturday, November 6th, 8:00 PM, The Arab Culture Association, Haifa
Sunday, November 7th, 7:00 PM, Baladna Youth Hub, Nazareth
Sunday, November 7th, 8:00 PM, Municipal Theater - Ramallah City Hall,
Sunday, November 7th, 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 indiegogo 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 AzabTrapped 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 5th, 8:00 PM, Palestinian National Theatre / Al Hakawati, Jerusalem
Saturday, November 6th, 7:00 PM, Baladna Youth Hub, Nazareth