Co-written and directed by first-time feature filmmaker Amjad Al Rasheed, the film is a co-production between Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
Cinema Akil has announced the upcoming release of the Jordanian drama Inshallah a Boy, directed by Amjad Al Rasheed. The film, which follows the story of Nawal, a widow fighting to protect her home and rights after her husband’s sudden death, will screen on Saturday, September 21. The premiere event will include a virtual Q&A session with the filmmaker. Screenings will continue through mid-October.
Inshallah a Boy has garnered widespread acclaim, including winning the Gan Foundation Award and the Rail d’Or at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival. Lead actress Mouna Hawa also won Best Actress at both the Asia Pacific Screen Awards and the Red Sea International Film Festival. Earlier this year, the film had a successful run in French cinemas and recently enjoyed two sold-out screenings at the Amman International Film Festival, where it took home the Audience Award.
Directed by Amjad Al-Rasheed and co-written with Delphine Agut and Rula Nasser, the film features Mouna Hawa, Haitham Omari, Salwa Nakkara, Yumna Marwan, Mohammad Al-Jizawi, Islam Al-Awadi and Celina Rabab’a.
Inshallah a Boy made history last year at the Cannes Film Festival as the first Jordanian feature to participate in the Critics’ Week section, securing the Gan Foundation Award and the Rail D’Or for Best Feature Film. Since then, it has screened at over 100 film festivals and won more than 25 awards during its festival tour.
In terms of production companies, Inshallah a Boy was produced by Imaginarium Films and co-produced by Georges Films and Bayt Al-Shawareb. For distribution within the Arab world, MAD Solutions and Lagoonie Film Production have taken the helm, while Pyramide International is managing international sales and distribution in France.
The film’s production was led by Nasser and Abu Ayyash, with co-production from Youssef Abdelnabi, Raphaël Alexandre, and Nicolas Leprêtre. Associate producers include Alaa Karkouti, Maher Diab, and Shahinaz El-Akkad. The lensing of the film was executed by Kanamé Onoyama, while editing was handled by the prolific Ahmed Hafez. Nour Halawani was responsible for sound mixing, and the score was composed by Jerry Lane. Zeina Soufan and Nasser Zoubi served as the project’s costume and production designers, respectively.
Inshallah a Boy marks Amjad Al-Rasheed’s second collaboration with MAD Solutions, following the marketing of his short film The Parrot, which he co-directed.
The film narrates the story of Nawal, a recently widowed woman navigating societal challenges to save her daughter and home after her husband’s death in a society where having a son holds significant weight.
The film is currently available for streaming on OSN.
