The Burdened

Director: Amr Gamal
Rights:
Highlights Highlights Highlights
World premiered at the 2023 Berlinale in the Panorama Section, winning the 2nd Place Audience Award and the Amnesty International Award
The first ever Yemeni film to be officially selected at the Berlin International Film Festival
Yemen’s official submission for the 'Best International Feature Film' category at the 96th Academy Awards
Produced by Amjad Abu Alala, who is known for YOU WILL DIE AT TWENTY, which was submitted to the Oscars' Best International Feature Film Category in 2020 as Sudan's first-ever Academy Award submission
The director's debut feature 10 DAYS BEFORE THE WEDDING (2018) was the first movie to release commercially in Yemen after a three-decade absence of cinema in the country
Won the Works in Progress Post-Production Development Award in the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival's industry section Eastern Promises
The Burdened Poster
2023/ Yemen - Sudan - Saudi Arabia91 min/ Drama
Original Title
Al Murhaqoon
SYNOPSIS
Based on true events that take place in Aden around 2019, the film follows the struggles of a married couple and their three children after both husband and wife lose their jobs as a result of the country’s economic crisis.
After the mother discovers she is carrying a fourth child, the beleaguered parents try to get an abortion despite their community’s conservative stance, forcing the family to make tough decisions in order to survive.
CAST
Khaled Hamdan Abeer Mohammed Samah Alamrani Awsam Abdulrahman

CREW

Screenwriter: Amr Gamal, Mazen Refaat DOP: Mrinal Desai Editor: Heba Othman Music: Chen Mingchang

Production Company(ies)
Adenium Productions
Station Films
Producer(s)

Mohsen Alkhalifi, Amjad Abu Alala, Mohammed Alomda

film festivals
Berlin International Film Festival (Panorama), Germany
Durban International Film Festival, South Africa
Valencia International Film Festival, Spain
Taipei Film Festival, Taiwan
Shanghai International Film Festival, China
Sydney Film Festival, Australia
Beijing International Film Festival, China
Chicago International Film Festival, US
Golden Apricot Yerevan International Film Festival, Armenia
Festival International de Film Saint-Jean-de Luz, France
War On Screen International Film Festival, France
Cairo International Film Festival, Egypt
The Septimius Awards, The Netherlands
Zurich Film Festival, Switzerland
Rio de Janeiro International Film Festival, Brazil
film awards
Second Place Audience Award at the Berlin International Film Festival
Amnesty International Award at the Berlin International Film Festival
Jury Prize (Best Director) at the Valencia International Film Festival
Jury Prize (Best Screenplay) at the Valencia International Film Festival
Best Screenplay at the Durban International Film Festival
Best Film (Special Jury Prize) at the Taipei Film Festival
Reviews

JONATHAN ROMNEY — Screen Daily

Jay Weissberg — The Film Verdict

Stephen Saito — The Moveable Fest

Gayle Sequeira — Film Companion

Sarah Manvel — Critic's Notebook

Quotes
"What's striking is how extremely spare and to the point Gamal's storytelling style is."
Jonathan Romney — Screen Daily

"[An] excellent, understated yet hard-hitting portrait of a family and their city in desperation."
Jay Weissberg — The Film Verdict

"Director Amr Gamal appears to be well aware that the opportunity to see inside Yemen isn't at all a common one."
Stephen Saito — The Moveable Fest

"Amr Gamal shoots every scene in a single unbroken take, nudging the audience to really see this couple and their dire straits."
Gayle Sequeira — Film Companion

"The Burdened" is interested in how people survive when the safety net disappears."
Sarah Manvel — Critic's Notebook
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