‘Five Boys and a Wheel’ wins Golden Khanjur Award

CAIRO – 8 April 2018: Director Said Zagha's 2016 short movie "Five Boys and a Wheel" was the winner of the Golden Khanjer Award at the closing ceremony of the 10th edition of the Muscat International Film Festival, which concluded on March 31.

Derived from the American short story “Bicycles, Muscles, Cigarettes” by Raymond Carver, the short film is set in Jordan. It follows a young father who has to get his son out of a petty conflict with the neighboring children that involves a missing bicycle.

Soon, the other parents get involved, which leads to a potentially dangerous situation for the man and his son. As the situation spirals out of control, the father's patience and values are put to the test. The film stars Palestinian actor Ali Suliman, Nadira Omran and Haydar Kfoof. It was funded by Jordan’s Royal Film Commission.

This win marks the third award given to "Five Boys and a Wheel", which previously won the Golden Wahr Award at the Oran International Arabic Film Festival in Algeria and the Silver Palm Award at the Mexico International Film Festival. It also participated in numerous other film festivals this year, such as the Chicago Palestine Film Festival, the MONA Film Festival and the Reel Palestine Film Festival. MAD Solutions was responsible for releasing the film in Egypt, where it premiered as part of the "Stars in Shorts" program, bundled with other award-winning short films from across the Arab world.

"Five Boys and a Wheel" first premiered at the 2016 Dubai International Film Festival in the Muhr Short Film Competition. It premiered in the USA in February 2017 at the 40th Portland International Film Festival. Its European premiere was at Italy's Middle East Now Festival.

Zagha is a Palestinian filmmaker who earned his bachelor's degree in English and film from Kenyon College in Ohio, USA in 2011. He is currently developing his first feature film, titled "The Girl".