Written and directed by Firas Khoury, 'Alam' follows the story of a Palestinian teenager named Tamer.
Palestinian filmmaker Firas Khoury’s feature film Alam is set to be featured at the ninth edition of the UAE’s Reel Palestine Film Festival, which runs from January 27 until February 4 in Cinema Akil.
The six-time-award-winning film will have three special screenings during the festival, with attendance restricted only to those with invitations.
The first screening is set for Sunday, January 29 at 7 PM, followed by a Q&A with director Firas Khoury; the second screening is scheduled for Monday, January 30 at 7 PM; and the last screening is set for Sunday, February 5 at 4:30 PM.
Reel Palestine is an annual film festival in the UAE that brings films in the artistic form of independent and alternative cinema to be played at both Abu Dhabi’s Warehouse421 and Cinema Akil — an independent cinema platform that brings films from across the world to audiences in the UAE.
Written and directed by Firas Khoury and starring Mahmood Bakri, Sereen Khass, Saleh Bakri, Mohammad Karaki, Ahmad Zaghmouri, and Muhammad Abed Elrahman, Alam follows the story of a Palestinian teenager named Tamer.
Alam follows a Palestinian-Israeli teen who undergoes a political awakening sparked by a pretty, outspoken girl from his high school class, who spurs him to join a group of classmates in a risky flag operation on the eve of Israel’s Independence Day. Lead actor Mahmoud Bakri won a share of top acting honours for his performance, along with Maher Elkheir, the star of Ali Cherri’s Cannes Directors’ Fortnight player The Dam.
Alam is co-distributed by MAD Solutions and Lagoonie Film Production across the Arab world.
The film is produced by MPM Film, Paprika Films, Philistine Films, Red Sea Film Festival Foundation, Metafora Productions and Lacydon Bay Productions.
The film received a grant from the Doha Film Institute and a $20,000 script development grant from the Abu Dhabi Film Festival’s SANAD Fund. It was also chosen to participate in the Cinéfondation Workshop at the 2017 edition of the Cannes Film Festival.
Furthermore, the film was featured at the 2019 Venice GAP-Financing Market and received a $10,000 grant from Cairo Film Connection — the CIFF’s Co-Production Market — and was featured at the Atlas Workshops of the Marrakech International Film Festival.
