Australian film The Furnace, directed by Roderick MacKay and starring Ahmed Malek, will screen in Empire cinema in Khobar, KSA.This comes within Empire Cinema’s expansion across the kingdom that includes opening new cinemas in Khobar where The Furnace will be among the films that will screen during Eid al-Fitr.

The film will have three screenings at the following times: 4:30 PM, 9:00 Pm and 11:30 PM ( GMT +3)

Earlier in April this year, The Furnace was released, in collaboration with Rowad Media, in Empire Cinema, Muvi Cinema and AMC cinema across different cities in Saudi Arabia, as well as in the UAE and Egypt. The Furnace is slated to release across further Arab countries, soon.
The Furnace landed its world premiere at the Venice International Film Festival, where it immediately gained international critical acclaim and was described as “An enjoyably absorbing experience” by Variety and “Brutish western is tough as old leather and good as gold” via The Guardian. Malek also received positive reviews on his performance in the film: “Egyptian actor Ahmed Malek (a Screen Star of Tomorrow in 2018) is immediately engaging as Hanif” as it was stated by the Screen Daily.
Also, The Furnace had its Arab premiere at El Gouna Film Festival where it garnered a wide audience and critical acclaim. Tarek El Shennawy praised Ahmed Malek’s performance in the film saying:” Malek is truly talented in acting and deserves to be a global actor.” Moreover, The Furnace’s premiere has fueled a frenzy between audiences on social media, topping the most researched and reacted upon on Google.

1897 Western Australia. To escape a harsh existence and return home, a young Afghan cameleer partners with a mysterious bushman on the run with two 400oz Crown-marked gold bars. Together the unlikely pair must outwit a zealous police sergeant and his troopers in a race to reach a secret furnace - the one place where they can safely reset the bars to remove the mark of the Crown. Written and directed by Roderick MacKay, The film stars Ahmed Malek, David Wenham and Jay Ryan.

The film received a production support from a number of institutes, including Screen Australia, in association with Screenwest, Lotterywest and the Western Australian Regional Film Fund. MAD Solutions handles the film’s distribution and marketing in the Arab World.