Director Basil Khalil and co-writer Daniel Ka-Chun Chan waste no time setting the tone for their Middle Eastern comedy A Gaza Weekend. Conceived over a decade ago, its purpose is to satirize the very real conflict between Palestinians and Israelis to its most absurd extremes while also finding the common ground of humanity hiding beneath—much like Khalil’s enjoyable, Oscar-nominated short Ave Maria. As such, watching a scientist carelessly mill about an Israeli infectious disease center is less about her obvious lack of protocol and more about the color of her skin. Why? Because it means the country, despite being ground zero for a deadly disease, can absolve itself by blaming an Arab.
And what’s the point of making Israel the epicenter for a cataclysmic pandemic if you don’t also render Gaza the safest place on Earth? The reason: Israel has blocked the area off with walls...
And what’s the point of making Israel the epicenter for a cataclysmic pandemic if you don’t also render Gaza the safest place on Earth? The reason: Israel has blocked the area off with walls...
- 9/10/2022
- by Jared Mobarak
- The Film Stage
Haj’s first film ’Personal Affairs’ also screened in Cannes Un Certain Regard in 2016.
Paris-based sales company Luxbox has boarded sales on Palestinian director Maha Haj’s second film Mediterranean Fever, which was announced as a fresh addition to Cannes Un Certain Regard section on Thursday (April 21).
At the same time, Dulac Distribution has also announced its acquisition of French rights for the film.
Haj’s debut feature Personal Affairs also world premiered in Un Certain Regard in 2016.
The new drama revolves around an aspiring but depressed writer living in Haifa who befriends his small-time crook neighbour in the hope...
Paris-based sales company Luxbox has boarded sales on Palestinian director Maha Haj’s second film Mediterranean Fever, which was announced as a fresh addition to Cannes Un Certain Regard section on Thursday (April 21).
At the same time, Dulac Distribution has also announced its acquisition of French rights for the film.
Haj’s debut feature Personal Affairs also world premiered in Un Certain Regard in 2016.
The new drama revolves around an aspiring but depressed writer living in Haifa who befriends his small-time crook neighbour in the hope...
- 4/22/2022
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- ScreenDaily
Celebrate the Lunar New Year with The Monkey King 3, Monster Hunt 2, and more International Cinema titles this weekend!Celebrate the Lunar New Year with The Monkey King 3, Monster Hunt 2, and more International Cinema titles this weekend!Adriana Floridia2/15/2018 2:07:00 PMEvery week, select Cineplex theatres feature some of the most popular and exciting films from all around the world, from countries like China, India, Korea, The Philippines and more. If you want to try something different at the movies, or simply celebrate your own or a new culture on the big screen, we’re highlighting the International Cinema titles out this weekend that you’ll surely enjoy!
This Friday is the Lunar New Year, and we have three titles that are being released to coincide with this holiday: Detective Chinatown 2, Monster Hunt 2 and The Monkey King 3! Find out all about these films and more international releases this weekend below!
This Friday is the Lunar New Year, and we have three titles that are being released to coincide with this holiday: Detective Chinatown 2, Monster Hunt 2 and The Monkey King 3! Find out all about these films and more international releases this weekend below!
- 2/15/2018
- by Adriana Floridia
- Cineplex
Author: Competitions
To mark the release of In Between on 29th January, we’ve been given a copy to give away on DVD.
In Between follows the lives of three strong, independent minded Israeli-Palestinian women sharing an apartment in Tel Aviv. Away from the constraints of their families and enforced tradition, they find themselves in between the free and unfettered lives they’re aspiring to lead and the restrictions still imposed on them by a blinkered society.
Laila (Mouna Hawa), a successful lawyer, craves the love of a good man who she thinks she s found in the apparently open-minded and handsome Ziad (Mahmood Shalabi). Salma (Sana Jammallieh) works at menial jobs in restaurants and bars hoping her long-held dream of being a DJ becomes a reality. In the meantime she falls for the beautiful trainee doctor Dounia but is forced to keep their lesbian relationship secret from her family.
To mark the release of In Between on 29th January, we’ve been given a copy to give away on DVD.
In Between follows the lives of three strong, independent minded Israeli-Palestinian women sharing an apartment in Tel Aviv. Away from the constraints of their families and enforced tradition, they find themselves in between the free and unfettered lives they’re aspiring to lead and the restrictions still imposed on them by a blinkered society.
Laila (Mouna Hawa), a successful lawyer, craves the love of a good man who she thinks she s found in the apparently open-minded and handsome Ziad (Mahmood Shalabi). Salma (Sana Jammallieh) works at menial jobs in restaurants and bars hoping her long-held dream of being a DJ becomes a reality. In the meantime she falls for the beautiful trainee doctor Dounia but is forced to keep their lesbian relationship secret from her family.
- 1/22/2018
- by Competitions
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Well here we are, the first release weekend of the new year. The dumping ground for everything from studio horror cast offs like the latest in the Insidious franchise to art films continuing to make the rounds as they make their way to a hopeful Oscar nomination of some sort, this is one of the year’s more interesting portions of the calendar. Sure, for every ditched genre film you get an expanding prestige picture, but you also get the chance to see some genuinely interesting, if less buzzed about, independent films from around the world.
For example, there are films like In Between. Following a fruitful run on the 2017 film festival circuit, director Maysaloun Hamoud’s feature film directing debut begins its theatrical run in New York via Film Movement, and is a superbly made and emotionally resonant look at three young women caught in the middle of traditionalism and modernity in Tel Aviv.
For example, there are films like In Between. Following a fruitful run on the 2017 film festival circuit, director Maysaloun Hamoud’s feature film directing debut begins its theatrical run in New York via Film Movement, and is a superbly made and emotionally resonant look at three young women caught in the middle of traditionalism and modernity in Tel Aviv.
- 1/5/2018
- by Joshua Brunsting
- CriterionCast
To whom does the title of Maysaloun Hamoud’s assured, empathetic debut “In Between” refer? To her characters, of course, who are stuck in between their conservative cultures and their liberal desires. But also to Hamoud herself, who has been both widely praised and roundly condemned for her blunt take on the lives of young Arab-Israeli women. The fictional friends who’ve earned such disapproval are Laila (vibrant standout Mouna Hawa), Salma (Sana Jammelieh) and Nour (Shaden Kanboura), 20-something roommates in Tel Aviv. Laila is the rebel, a chain-smoking, hard-partying Palestinian lawyer. And Nour is her obvious opposite, a pious Muslim student.
- 1/5/2018
- by Elizabeth Weitzman
- The Wrap
wide
Molly’s Game [my review]
Jessica Chastain stars in the based-on-fact story of Molly Bloom and the glamorous high-stakes poker games she ran in Los Angeles and New York. (male writer and director)
Insidious: The Last Key [IMDb] pictured
Lin Shaye returns as parapsychologist Elise Rainier, investigating hauntings past and present in the house she grew up in. (male writer and director)
limited
The Strange Ones [IMDb]
Lauren Wolkstein cowrites and codirects a suspense tale of two (male) travelers in remote America.
Goldbuster [IMDb]
Sandra Kwan Yue Ng directs this Hong Kong supernatural comedy about a ghost hunter.
In Between [IMDb]
Maysaloun Hamoud writes and directs this drama about Palestinian women sharing an apartment in Tel Aviv, starring Mouna Hawa, Sana Jammelieh, and Shaden Kanboura.
Project Eden [IMDb]
Ashlee Jensen cowrites and codirects a sci-fi thriller about a woman on the run from a global conspiracy, starring Anna McGahan.
In the Land of Pomegranates [IMDb]
Hava Kohav Beller...
Molly’s Game [my review]
Jessica Chastain stars in the based-on-fact story of Molly Bloom and the glamorous high-stakes poker games she ran in Los Angeles and New York. (male writer and director)
Insidious: The Last Key [IMDb] pictured
Lin Shaye returns as parapsychologist Elise Rainier, investigating hauntings past and present in the house she grew up in. (male writer and director)
limited
The Strange Ones [IMDb]
Lauren Wolkstein cowrites and codirects a suspense tale of two (male) travelers in remote America.
Goldbuster [IMDb]
Sandra Kwan Yue Ng directs this Hong Kong supernatural comedy about a ghost hunter.
In Between [IMDb]
Maysaloun Hamoud writes and directs this drama about Palestinian women sharing an apartment in Tel Aviv, starring Mouna Hawa, Sana Jammelieh, and Shaden Kanboura.
Project Eden [IMDb]
Ashlee Jensen cowrites and codirects a sci-fi thriller about a woman on the run from a global conspiracy, starring Anna McGahan.
In the Land of Pomegranates [IMDb]
Hava Kohav Beller...
- 1/5/2018
- by MaryAnn Johanson
- www.flickfilosopher.com
by Murtada
In Between, Arab-Israeli director Maysaloun Hamoud’s debut feature, is about three young, independent-minded Palestinian women who share an apartment in Tel Aviv. Laila (Mouna Hawa) is a criminal lawyer who loves to burn off stress in the underground club scene. Her roommate Salma (Sana Jammelieh,) is an aspiring DJ and bartender who falls in love with a female medical intern. Their new roommate Nur (Shaden Kanboura, Sand Storm) is a reserved, religious university student with a conservative fiancé.
Away from the constraints of their families and tradition, they find themselves “in between” the unfettered lives they are trying to lead and the restrictions imposed on them by their conservative culture. The film has already won several awards including honors at the San Sebastian Film Festival and the 2017 Women in Motion's Young Talents Award at the Cannes Film festival, presented to her by none other than Isabelle Huppert!
In Between, Arab-Israeli director Maysaloun Hamoud’s debut feature, is about three young, independent-minded Palestinian women who share an apartment in Tel Aviv. Laila (Mouna Hawa) is a criminal lawyer who loves to burn off stress in the underground club scene. Her roommate Salma (Sana Jammelieh,) is an aspiring DJ and bartender who falls in love with a female medical intern. Their new roommate Nur (Shaden Kanboura, Sand Storm) is a reserved, religious university student with a conservative fiancé.
Away from the constraints of their families and tradition, they find themselves “in between” the unfettered lives they are trying to lead and the restrictions imposed on them by their conservative culture. The film has already won several awards including honors at the San Sebastian Film Festival and the 2017 Women in Motion's Young Talents Award at the Cannes Film festival, presented to her by none other than Isabelle Huppert!
- 1/5/2018
- by Murtada Elfadl
- FilmExperience
In Between (Bar Bahar) Film Movement Director: Maysaloun Hamoud Screenwriter: Maysaloun Hamoud Cast: Mouna Hawa, Shaden Kanboura, Sana Jammalieh, Shaden Kanboura, Mahmoud Shalaby, Henry Andrawes, Aiman Daw, Riyad Sliman, Ashlam Canaan Screened at: Critics’ link, NYC, 1/3/18 Opens: January 5, 2018 Watching this wonderful, beautifully crafted film, one without a single flawed performance, I couldn’t […]
The post In Between Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
The post In Between Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
- 1/3/2018
- by Harvey Karten
- ShockYa
Three female flatmates in Tel Aviv fight the constraints of their Muslim faith and families in an inspiring directorial debut
This bittersweet debut feature from Maysaloun Hamoud is a spiky treat, an empowering tale of three Palestinian women living in Tel Aviv, each fighting their own battles for independence and fulfilment. Balancing tragicomic relationship blues with sharp sociopolitical observation, Hamoud’s slyly subversive drama draws us deep into an often hidden world. As the title suggests, these women occupy a liminal space, caught between freedom and repression, religion and secularism, the past and the future. Theirs is a world in flux, in which the drugs and partying of the underground scene stand in stark contrast to the strict hypocrisies that dominate the cultural landscape. As one of them tells her devout father: “Some people live in palaces, but God knows what their life is like inside…”
Laila (Mouna Hawa) is a force of nature,...
This bittersweet debut feature from Maysaloun Hamoud is a spiky treat, an empowering tale of three Palestinian women living in Tel Aviv, each fighting their own battles for independence and fulfilment. Balancing tragicomic relationship blues with sharp sociopolitical observation, Hamoud’s slyly subversive drama draws us deep into an often hidden world. As the title suggests, these women occupy a liminal space, caught between freedom and repression, religion and secularism, the past and the future. Theirs is a world in flux, in which the drugs and partying of the underground scene stand in stark contrast to the strict hypocrisies that dominate the cultural landscape. As one of them tells her devout father: “Some people live in palaces, but God knows what their life is like inside…”
Laila (Mouna Hawa) is a force of nature,...
- 9/24/2017
- by Mark Kermode, Observer film critic
- The Guardian - Film News
Three women from Muslim and Christian backgrounds bond over hummus and history in a delightful drama set in Tel Aviv
Most Palestinian films focus on the impact of politics and how the fraught relations with the Israeli state affect the lives of Palestinians. This delightful feature from Maysaloun Hamoud takes a seemingly more apolitical approach. And yet there’s a palpable subtext at play here about the oppressive treatment of women from the territory by their own people, affecting those leading secular lives as well as the religiously observant, Muslims and Christians alike.
In a Tel Aviv apartment, Muslim lawyer and chain-smoking party girl Layla (Mouna Hawa) and her friend Salma (Sana Jammelieh), a lesbian from a Christian family who floats through an assortment of service sector jobs, welcome a new flatmate, hijab-wearing Nour (Shaden Kanboura). Nour is in her last year of university, studying computer science and engaged to...
Most Palestinian films focus on the impact of politics and how the fraught relations with the Israeli state affect the lives of Palestinians. This delightful feature from Maysaloun Hamoud takes a seemingly more apolitical approach. And yet there’s a palpable subtext at play here about the oppressive treatment of women from the territory by their own people, affecting those leading secular lives as well as the religiously observant, Muslims and Christians alike.
In a Tel Aviv apartment, Muslim lawyer and chain-smoking party girl Layla (Mouna Hawa) and her friend Salma (Sana Jammelieh), a lesbian from a Christian family who floats through an assortment of service sector jobs, welcome a new flatmate, hijab-wearing Nour (Shaden Kanboura). Nour is in her last year of university, studying computer science and engaged to...
- 9/22/2017
- by Leslie Felperin
- The Guardian - Film News
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