Muscat Film Festival features 6 films

CAIRO – 30 March 2018: The Muscat Film Festival, running from Mar. 26 until Mar. 31, features six Arab films distributed by MAD Solutions, a Middle Eastern and African digital content provider. These six films are:

“Foreign Body”

Director Raja Amari tells the story of refugee Samia (Sarra Hannachi), who flees from Tunisia on nothing but a shoddy old boat that sinks, miraculously managing to swim all the way towards Lyon in France, where she starts a new life as an illegal alien. Terrified of being tracked down by her abusive terrorist brother, Samia takes refuge in the home of her friend Imed (Salim Kechiouche), though his connections to her brother leave her feeling uncertain. She begins working for a rich lonely widow, Leila (Hiam Abbas), which opens the door to a world of passion and mystery.

“Heaven Sent”


The feature film debut of director Wissam Charaf is a tale of two brothers, separated for 20 years. Samir (Rodrigue Sleiman) is a former soldier who has been assumed dead, but mysteriously reappears in the life of his younger brother Omar (Raed Yassin), who has now become a bodyguard in Beirut. Samir finds himself a stranger both in his home country and his own family, and aims to rebuild some form of connection.

“The Journey”

What goes on in the mind of a female suicide bomber just about to commit an attack? That's the harrowing question raised by director Mohamed Al-Daradji, who follows a terrorist named 'Sara' (Zahraa Gandour) sent on a mission to set an explosive off at the Baghdad Central Station, disguised as a pregnant woman. She takes an annoying man, Salam (Ameer Ali Jabarah) hostage after he accidentally uncovers the bombs strapped to her stomach, and he pleads with her to stop her. Sara remains steady on her mission until she finds an abandoned baby, which begins to awaken a kinder side inside her. But will that be enough to stop the dark journey she's headed towards?

“17”
This empowering documentary from Widad Shafakoj explores Jordan's under-17 women's football team as they face hardships and challenges in both their personal and private lives. Coming from different backgrounds, they are all united in their love of football, and prove that the sport belongs to men and women alike.

“Egyptian Jeanne d'Arc”
Iman Kamel tells the bravery of the Egyptian women who participated in the 2011 revolution, using poetry and dance to give their stories a truly mythical feeling. It examines their lives after the revolution, through compelling interviews and creative film-making.

“300 KM”
This short film by Mohammed Alholayyil takes place on a 300 KM stretch of road, where a man, woman and child from a highly conservative community are forced to travel together in the same car.