'The Red Sea Makes Me Wanna Cry' was Alrjoob's thesis film at the Academy of Media Arts Cologne.
Faris Alrjoob’s German-Jordanian short film, The Red Sea Makes Me Wanna Cry, made its debut on the film streaming platform MUBI on April 20, marking the first Jordanian short film to join MUBI’s library.
Commenting on the partnership, MAD Solutions’ co-founders Alaa Karkouti and Maher Diab said: “We’re thrilled to partner with MUBI, a renowned global platform known for its curated selection of high-quality films. We take pride in launching this collaboration with The Red Sea Makes Me Wanna Cry, which garnered attention at its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival. This marks our second project with director Faris Alrjoob.”
MUBI, established in 2007, is a global streaming platform, production company, and film distributor. It exclusively offers films by emerging and established filmmakers, producing and distributing content that is distinctive to its platform.
The Red Sea Makes Me Wanna Cry, acclaimed for its cinematic excellence, recently received the Best Connecting Cultures Film Award at the Ghent International Short Film Festival and the Silver Star for Short Films at the Gouna Film Festival. The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival’s Quinzaine des Cinéastes and made its Arab World debut at Egypt’s Gouna Film Festival.
The romantic thriller — which is one of the two first-ever Jordanian films to premiere at the Cannes Film Festival — unfolds the story of Ida, a haunted character who embarks on a journey to the liminal site of her partner’s disappearance, seeking to feel his presence one last time and bid farewell.
The film stars Mohamed Nizar, Clara Schwinning, and Emmy-nominated American-Palestinian-Kuwaiti journalist-actor Ahmed Shihab Eldin, alongside Anwar Khalil. Produced by the renowned German film school Film-und Medienstiftung NRW, the short film is directed, written, and co-produced by Faris Alrjoob, co-written by Matthew LaPaglia, co-produced by Luisa Stricker and Luma Al Hamarneh, lensed by Mahmoud Belakhel, edited by Benedikt Strick, and distributed worldwide by MAD Solutions.
Faris Alrjoob, an interdisciplinary artist working within the fields of film, video art, and performance, is based in Berlin and is a graduate student at the Academy of Media Arts in Cologne, having previously studied at Emerson College in Boston.
