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.
Amjad Al-Rasheed’s critically acclaimed Jordanian film, Inshallah a Boy, which has been selected as Jordan’s official entry for the 2024 Academy Award for Best International Feature Film, is set to participate in the upcoming third edition of the Red Sea International Film Festival in Jeddah, taking place from November 30 to December 9.
The film, which has already garnered eight international awards, has recently added two more accolades to its collection—Best Performance at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards and Best Screenplay for a Narrative Feature at the sixth Mystic Film Festival.
The film made history earlier this 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. Its narrative has resonated at various international festivals, including Karlovy Vary, Melbourne, BFI London, Sydney, Toronto, Hamburg, New Zealand, and World Cinema Amsterdam.
Inshallah a Boy 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.
Directed by Amjad Al-Rasheed and co-written alongside Delphine Agut and Rula Nasser, the film boasts a stellar cast including Mouna Hawa, Haitham Omari, Salwa Nakkara, Yumna Marwan, Mohammad Al-Jizawi, Islam Al-Awadi, and Celina Rabab’a.
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.
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.
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 is currently available for streaming on OSN.
