The initial punch of Huda's Salon is likely to get you right in the gut - to such a degree, in fact, that I'm hesitant to even mention it, but what happens in the salon near the start of the film is crucial to all that follows, so I'm afraid slight spoilers are unavoidable. You have been warned. If you were just to watch the film's first 10 minutes, you would be likely expecting a domestic, female-focused tale of the ins and outs of marriages and small tribulations of Palestinian life in Bethlehem, as Reem (Maisa Abd Elhadi), her baby sleeping at the back of the salon, settles in for a haircut and a gossip with salon owner Huda (Manal Awad).
It turns out, however, that it's not flavouring that Huda is popping into Reem's coffee but knock-out drops, quickly dragging her client into the back room and staging blackmail photos in.
It turns out, however, that it's not flavouring that Huda is popping into Reem's coffee but knock-out drops, quickly dragging her client into the back room and staging blackmail photos in.
- 5/7/2022
- by Amber Wilkinson
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
A trip to the hairdresser’s turns sour in Huda’s Salon, a gripping thriller written and directed by Hany Abu-Assad (Paradise Now). Inspired by chilling real events in Palestine, it sees young mother Reem (Maisa Abd Elhadi) drugged by Huda (Manal Awad), who strips her naked and takes compromising pictures of her with a man, who’s clearly done this before.
Huda is working with the secret service, and intends to blackmail Reem into joining her. Huda is confident that Reem’s husband won’t defend his wife’s honor, and she might well be right. While Reem goes about her daily life in a traumatized daze, trying to figure out what to do, Huda is captured by the resistance and interrogated underground.
It’s a tense, grim scenario in which you know nobody will escape unharmed. But dark humor occasionally lightens the load, and is in particularly safe hands with Awad,...
Huda is working with the secret service, and intends to blackmail Reem into joining her. Huda is confident that Reem’s husband won’t defend his wife’s honor, and she might well be right. While Reem goes about her daily life in a traumatized daze, trying to figure out what to do, Huda is captured by the resistance and interrogated underground.
It’s a tense, grim scenario in which you know nobody will escape unharmed. But dark humor occasionally lightens the load, and is in particularly safe hands with Awad,...
- 3/7/2022
- by Anna Smith
- Deadline Film + TV
A4 presents Kagonada’s second feature After Yang in limited release, the latest in the distributor’s varied indie slate ahead of wide-release horror slasher X on 3/18 and sci-fi adventure Everything Everywhere All At Once on 3/25 — which is also opening SXSW Film Festival.
This is a weekend where The Batman casts a long shadow, but the specialty market is also hungry for new content with moviegoers demonstrably, measurably, more willing to return to theaters in person.
A24 has been a strong voice in the pandemic-scarred cinema landscape. Green Knight, Zola and C’mon, C’mon helped juice the indie box office last year as odd Icelandic horror film Lamb and porno-themed Red Rocket became culty favorites. Other releases included The Humans, The Souvenir: Part II and Saint Maude. The distributor took three Oscar noms with Apple TV+ for The Tragedy of Macbeth. X as well as A24’s upcoming Bodies Bodies Bodies...
This is a weekend where The Batman casts a long shadow, but the specialty market is also hungry for new content with moviegoers demonstrably, measurably, more willing to return to theaters in person.
A24 has been a strong voice in the pandemic-scarred cinema landscape. Green Knight, Zola and C’mon, C’mon helped juice the indie box office last year as odd Icelandic horror film Lamb and porno-themed Red Rocket became culty favorites. Other releases included The Humans, The Souvenir: Part II and Saint Maude. The distributor took three Oscar noms with Apple TV+ for The Tragedy of Macbeth. X as well as A24’s upcoming Bodies Bodies Bodies...
- 3/4/2022
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
Each week we highlight the noteworthy titles that have recently hit streaming platforms in the United States. Check out this week’s selections below and past round-ups here.
After Yang (kogonada)
Following his serenely stunning drama Columbus, video-essayist-turned-director kogonada headed to the future with After Yang. The gorgeous, moving drama about what makes up a family premiered at last year’s Cannes (where our own Rory O’Connor was mixed) and after a few tweaks recently landed at Sundance, where it received quite a rapturous response. Starring Colin Farrell, Jodie Turner-Smith, Malea Emma Tjandrawidjaja, Justin H. Min, Sarita Choudhury, Haley Lu Richardson, and Clifton Collins Jr., it follows Farrell as Jake, a father who attempts to repair the malfunction Yang, an android that was a companion to his young daughter. In his second feature, kogonada perfectly depicts quite a seemingly realistic near-future while still retaining the peaceful artistic sensibilities of his debut.
After Yang (kogonada)
Following his serenely stunning drama Columbus, video-essayist-turned-director kogonada headed to the future with After Yang. The gorgeous, moving drama about what makes up a family premiered at last year’s Cannes (where our own Rory O’Connor was mixed) and after a few tweaks recently landed at Sundance, where it received quite a rapturous response. Starring Colin Farrell, Jodie Turner-Smith, Malea Emma Tjandrawidjaja, Justin H. Min, Sarita Choudhury, Haley Lu Richardson, and Clifton Collins Jr., it follows Farrell as Jake, a father who attempts to repair the malfunction Yang, an android that was a companion to his young daughter. In his second feature, kogonada perfectly depicts quite a seemingly realistic near-future while still retaining the peaceful artistic sensibilities of his debut.
- 3/4/2022
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Hair salons are sacred spaces. Where else could one catch up on the latest neighborhood gossip and engage in mindless chit-chat, while getting treated to a wash, trim and blow-out? But in “Paradise Now“ director Hany Abu-Assad’s restrained yet gripping “Huda’s Salon,” a feminist political thriller whose philosophical observations are richer than its white-knuckle moments, the titular Bethlehem joint secretly operates as something other than a pampering safe haven. Reem (Maisa Abd Elhadi) doesn’t know this as she takes a seat at Huda’s (Manal Awad) modest place on an especially quiet day, before her innocent little excursion costs her a great deal of irreversible trouble.
It all starts cordially enough between the two Palestinian women, a pair of friends and allies who’ve put up with their own share of patriarchal nonsense, both inside their families and on a macro level, within the oppressed Palestine long occupied by Israeli forces.
It all starts cordially enough between the two Palestinian women, a pair of friends and allies who’ve put up with their own share of patriarchal nonsense, both inside their families and on a macro level, within the oppressed Palestine long occupied by Israeli forces.
- 3/4/2022
- by Tomris Laffly
- Variety Film + TV
“Do you think you’re living in Sweden?” asks the titular hairstylist of “Huda’s Salon” with a sigh, although her question is surely rhetorical: After all, both she and the captor who is conducting her inquisition actually reside amid the brain-bending complexity of Bethlehem.
For women like Huda, there is no one to rely on, no one to trust, no one to confide in. And when it comes to self-protective betrayal, she has learned her lessons well.
Writer-director Hany Abu-Assad envisions his characters as nesting dolls, each enclosed by someone bigger or more powerful. Huda is a victim of the Palestinian resistance, pitiless spies who are watched at every step by equally unforgiving Israeli soldiers. Her victim is Reem (Maisa Abd Elhadi), a young mother who simply wants a bit of a break.
Like all women in her punitively patriarchal family, Reem has only two approved roles — dutiful wife and...
For women like Huda, there is no one to rely on, no one to trust, no one to confide in. And when it comes to self-protective betrayal, she has learned her lessons well.
Writer-director Hany Abu-Assad envisions his characters as nesting dolls, each enclosed by someone bigger or more powerful. Huda is a victim of the Palestinian resistance, pitiless spies who are watched at every step by equally unforgiving Israeli soldiers. Her victim is Reem (Maisa Abd Elhadi), a young mother who simply wants a bit of a break.
Like all women in her punitively patriarchal family, Reem has only two approved roles — dutiful wife and...
- 3/3/2022
- by Elizabeth Weitzman
- The Wrap
Grounded in a profound sense of duty, Palestinian director Hany Abu-Assad has served as the premiere cinematic spokesperson for his people’s plight living under Israeli occupation for over half a century. Presenting a nuanced, yet piercing window into collective impotence in the face of injustice, his films “Paradise Now” and “Omar” received Academy Award nominations, prompting international attention on his inevitably political art.
But in the aftermath of Oscar recognition, the filmmaker tried his hand at a more inspirational tale with “The Idol” and eventually made his English-language debut with “The Mountain Between Us,” starring Kate Winslet and Idris Elba. Now, Abu-Assad has not only returned home, but also to his more tense and taut dramatic sensibilities with “Huda’s Salon,” a layered, edge-of-your-seat thriller about the many perils women face in Palestine. The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival last September, and is being released by IFC Films this week.
But in the aftermath of Oscar recognition, the filmmaker tried his hand at a more inspirational tale with “The Idol” and eventually made his English-language debut with “The Mountain Between Us,” starring Kate Winslet and Idris Elba. Now, Abu-Assad has not only returned home, but also to his more tense and taut dramatic sensibilities with “Huda’s Salon,” a layered, edge-of-your-seat thriller about the many perils women face in Palestine. The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival last September, and is being released by IFC Films this week.
- 3/3/2022
- by Carlos Aguilar
- Indiewire
With most films seeking to get out of the shadow cast by a certain caped crusader, March is a bit of a lighter month than usual, but there remains a handful of recommendations. From offbeat festival favorites to the return of the erotic thriller to what’s sure to be one of the best sci-fi tales of the year, check out our picks below.
11. Jane by Charlotte (Charlotte Gainsbourg; March 18 in theaters)
After being in front of the camera for nearly four decades, Charlotte Gainsbourg gets personal with her directorial debut. Jane by Charlotte, which premiered at Cannes before playing NYFF and beyond, is a portrait of her mother, singer and actress Jane Birkin, as the pair reflect on their creative lives. As they discuss the pains and joys of their relationship, it promises an intimate look at the intricacies of a bond formed not only by blood, but also fiercely creative drives.
11. Jane by Charlotte (Charlotte Gainsbourg; March 18 in theaters)
After being in front of the camera for nearly four decades, Charlotte Gainsbourg gets personal with her directorial debut. Jane by Charlotte, which premiered at Cannes before playing NYFF and beyond, is a portrait of her mother, singer and actress Jane Birkin, as the pair reflect on their creative lives. As they discuss the pains and joys of their relationship, it promises an intimate look at the intricacies of a bond formed not only by blood, but also fiercely creative drives.
- 3/2/2022
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
"Why did you betray your people?" IFC Films has revealed a new trailer for an indie from Palestine titled Huda's Salon, which premiered at last year's Toronto Film Festival. It also played at other festivals last year including Philadelphia, Busan, Woodstock, Miami, and AFI Fest. Based on real events, Huda's Salon is a timely political drama about two women who find themselves in a dangerous and complex web of betrayal. While both of them navigate how far their loyalties will go—to family and country—Abu-Assad masterfully orchestrates the tensions into a crescendo. The film stars Ali Suliman, Maisa Abd Elhadi, Manal Awad, Kamel El Basha, Samer Bisharat, and Omar Abu Amer. This received some rave reviews from critics, saying the film is a "combination of moral quandary and ticking clock peril." It seem worth a watch. Here's the official US trailer for Hany Abu-Assad's Huda's Salon, direct from...
- 1/31/2022
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
The Bethlehem-set thriller makes Mena debut in competition at the Red Sea International Film Festival.
Palestinian director Hany Abu Assad’s thriller Huda’s Salon makes its Middle East and North Africa debut on Tuesday (December 7), opening the main competition of Saudi Arabia’s new Red Sea International Film Festival, running December 6 to 15 in Jeddah.
The feature made its world premiere in Toronto three months ago but for Golden Globe-winning and double Oscar nominee Abu Assad, its arrival in the Mena region marks the most important leg of its festival and theatrical journey.
“I made this movie for my home audience,...
Palestinian director Hany Abu Assad’s thriller Huda’s Salon makes its Middle East and North Africa debut on Tuesday (December 7), opening the main competition of Saudi Arabia’s new Red Sea International Film Festival, running December 6 to 15 in Jeddah.
The feature made its world premiere in Toronto three months ago but for Golden Globe-winning and double Oscar nominee Abu Assad, its arrival in the Mena region marks the most important leg of its festival and theatrical journey.
“I made this movie for my home audience,...
- 12/6/2021
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- ScreenDaily
International film festival launches in Jeddah exactly four years after lifting of Saudi’s 35-year cinema ban.
Saudi Arabia’s new Red Sea International Film Festival (Rsiff) opens in the country’s second-largest city of Jeddah on Monday evening (December 6), opening with Joe Wright’s musical Cyrano, starring Peter Dinklage in the title role.
Wright is expected to attend the opening ceremony, taking place in a specially constructed outdoor theatre in the port city’s 1,400-year-old historic quarter of Al-Balad, which will serve as the festival hub.
The UK director will be among around 1,000 international guests expected to attend the festival,...
Saudi Arabia’s new Red Sea International Film Festival (Rsiff) opens in the country’s second-largest city of Jeddah on Monday evening (December 6), opening with Joe Wright’s musical Cyrano, starring Peter Dinklage in the title role.
Wright is expected to attend the opening ceremony, taking place in a specially constructed outdoor theatre in the port city’s 1,400-year-old historic quarter of Al-Balad, which will serve as the festival hub.
The UK director will be among around 1,000 international guests expected to attend the festival,...
- 12/6/2021
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- ScreenDaily
Long live the socially minded political thriller! Thanks to filmmaker Hany Abu-Assad, this long-underserved sub-genre––once perfected by directors like Hitchcock, Pakula, and Weir––feels briefly resurrected thanks to his new picture Huda’s Salon. Set in the West Bank and based on true events, the film concerns Palestinian housewife Reem (Maisa Abd Elhadi) and the circumstances that are set in motion after a fateful trip to a local salon run by a woman named Huda (Manal Awad).
The opening scene is a beautifully constructed short film all its own, revealing a snappy spy narrative involving Israeli occupiers and Palestinian resisters. On one side sits Huda, on the other sits her interrogator Hasan (a great Ali Suliman). When asked how it is she decides which women to recruit and blackmail into espionage, she replies, “I choose the girls whose husbands are assholes.”
All three leads are perfectly calibrated here. Each character...
The opening scene is a beautifully constructed short film all its own, revealing a snappy spy narrative involving Israeli occupiers and Palestinian resisters. On one side sits Huda, on the other sits her interrogator Hasan (a great Ali Suliman). When asked how it is she decides which women to recruit and blackmail into espionage, she replies, “I choose the girls whose husbands are assholes.”
All three leads are perfectly calibrated here. Each character...
- 9/18/2021
- by Dan Mecca
- The Film Stage
Hany Abu-Assad, the acclaimed Dutch-Palestinian director of Oscar-nominated “Paradise Now” and “Omar,” has broken new ground with “Huda’s Salon” which world premiered Sept. 9 at Toronto in the competitive Platform section.
The female-driven tense spy thriller is headlined by Maisa Abd Elhadi (“The Angel”) who stars as Reem, a young mother who falls into a trap during a visit at a hair salon run by Huda, a seemingly friendly woman working for the Israeli secret service. While being blackmailed by the Israeli secret service, Reem has to cope with her controlling husband and a Palestinian resistance agent who suspect she is a traitor.
“Huda’s Salon” marks the helmer’s follow up to Fox’s “The Mountains Between Us” with Kate Winslet and Idris Elba. Abu-Assad produced the film with his wife, Amira Diab, through their recently launched banner H&a Production, alongside Egyptian producer Mohamed Hefzy, who runs the Cairo Film Festival,...
The female-driven tense spy thriller is headlined by Maisa Abd Elhadi (“The Angel”) who stars as Reem, a young mother who falls into a trap during a visit at a hair salon run by Huda, a seemingly friendly woman working for the Israeli secret service. While being blackmailed by the Israeli secret service, Reem has to cope with her controlling husband and a Palestinian resistance agent who suspect she is a traitor.
“Huda’s Salon” marks the helmer’s follow up to Fox’s “The Mountains Between Us” with Kate Winslet and Idris Elba. Abu-Assad produced the film with his wife, Amira Diab, through their recently launched banner H&a Production, alongside Egyptian producer Mohamed Hefzy, who runs the Cairo Film Festival,...
- 9/11/2021
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Self or nation? Loyalty or betrayal? Stay or leave?
These are the questions pulsing through Huda’s Salon, the eighth film from Hany Abu-Assad. They are not unfamiliar themes for the Palestinian director; his previous films, including the Oscar-nominated Paradise Now and Omar, explored similar questions with precision and sensitivity. But Huda’s Salon, a tightly conceived political thriller based on real events, heightens the stakes of these queries by applying them to Palestinian women, whose oppression under Israeli occupation is compounded by the patriarchal forces within their homes and communities.
Huda’s Salon opens with a humorous and congenial scene of bonding. Huda (Manal Awad), a stylist in Bethlehem,...
These are the questions pulsing through Huda’s Salon, the eighth film from Hany Abu-Assad. They are not unfamiliar themes for the Palestinian director; his previous films, including the Oscar-nominated Paradise Now and Omar, explored similar questions with precision and sensitivity. But Huda’s Salon, a tightly conceived political thriller based on real events, heightens the stakes of these queries by applying them to Palestinian women, whose oppression under Israeli occupation is compounded by the patriarchal forces within their homes and communities.
Huda’s Salon opens with a humorous and congenial scene of bonding. Huda (Manal Awad), a stylist in Bethlehem,...
Self or nation? Loyalty or betrayal? Stay or leave?
These are the questions pulsing through Huda’s Salon, the eighth film from Hany Abu-Assad. They are not unfamiliar themes for the Palestinian director; his previous films, including the Oscar-nominated Paradise Now and Omar, explored similar questions with precision and sensitivity. But Huda’s Salon, a tightly conceived political thriller based on real events, heightens the stakes of these queries by applying them to Palestinian women, whose oppression under Israeli occupation is compounded by the patriarchal forces within their homes and communities.
Huda’s Salon opens with a humorous and congenial scene of bonding. Huda (Manal Awad), a stylist in Bethlehem,...
These are the questions pulsing through Huda’s Salon, the eighth film from Hany Abu-Assad. They are not unfamiliar themes for the Palestinian director; his previous films, including the Oscar-nominated Paradise Now and Omar, explored similar questions with precision and sensitivity. But Huda’s Salon, a tightly conceived political thriller based on real events, heightens the stakes of these queries by applying them to Palestinian women, whose oppression under Israeli occupation is compounded by the patriarchal forces within their homes and communities.
Huda’s Salon opens with a humorous and congenial scene of bonding. Huda (Manal Awad), a stylist in Bethlehem,...
This year’s fall festival season features a tapestry of in-person, virtual, and hybrid programming from Telluride, Venice, TIFF, and NYFF. One throughline: many of the most anticipated premieres — from “Dune” to “The Power of the Dog” — are arriving to festivals with distribution in hand.
Though the festivals have pared down the size of their lineups amid the pandemic, there’s still plenty for buyers to choose from, from discovery titles to those with bankable elements. Gastón Duprat and Mariano Cohn’s “Official Competition” features Antonio Banderas and Penélope Cruz in a rare appearance on screen together; it still has North American rights available ahead of its Venice premiere. In “Lakewood,” Phillip Noyce directs Naomi Watts as a mother racing to her child during an active-shooter incident, it premieres at TIFF. And “Beba,” a personal documentary from first-time feature director Rebeca Huntt, is catching early buzz as a potential TIFF breakout.
Though the festivals have pared down the size of their lineups amid the pandemic, there’s still plenty for buyers to choose from, from discovery titles to those with bankable elements. Gastón Duprat and Mariano Cohn’s “Official Competition” features Antonio Banderas and Penélope Cruz in a rare appearance on screen together; it still has North American rights available ahead of its Venice premiere. In “Lakewood,” Phillip Noyce directs Naomi Watts as a mother racing to her child during an active-shooter incident, it premieres at TIFF. And “Beba,” a personal documentary from first-time feature director Rebeca Huntt, is catching early buzz as a potential TIFF breakout.
- 9/2/2021
- by Chris Lindahl
- Indiewire
Filmmaker’s Paradise Now was first Palestinian film nominated for foreign language Oscar in 2006.
IFC Films has picked up North American rights from Memento International to Hany Abu-Assad’s upcoming Toronto world premiere Huda’s Salon.
The filmmaker’s latest feature follows Reem, a young mother married to a jealous man, who goes to Huda’s salon in Bethlehem for a haircut and an attentive ear.
What should be an ordinary visit turns sour when Huda puts Reem in a difficult spot and blackmails her into betraying her people and working for the secret service of the occupiers. Ali Suliman,...
IFC Films has picked up North American rights from Memento International to Hany Abu-Assad’s upcoming Toronto world premiere Huda’s Salon.
The filmmaker’s latest feature follows Reem, a young mother married to a jealous man, who goes to Huda’s salon in Bethlehem for a haircut and an attentive ear.
What should be an ordinary visit turns sour when Huda puts Reem in a difficult spot and blackmails her into betraying her people and working for the secret service of the occupiers. Ali Suliman,...
- 8/11/2021
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
IFC Films has acquired North American rights to “Huda’s Salon,” a drama written and directed by Hany Abu-Assad, the award-winning filmmaker behind “Paradise Now” and “The Mountain Between Us.”
The film is described as a “feminist thriller,” one that unfolds against the backdrop of geopolitical conflict. It follows Reem, a young mother married to a jealous man, who goes to Huda’s salon in Bethlehem for a haircut and an attentive ear. But this visit turns sour when Huda, after having put Reem in a shameful situation, blackmails her.
“Huda’s Salon” will have its world premiere as an official selection at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival in September. IFC Films is planning a release in 2022. The indie studio has two other films playing in Toronto, Mia Hansen-Løve’s “Bergman Island” and Ruth Paxton’s “A Banquet.”
“To finally have the chance to work with IFC Films...
The film is described as a “feminist thriller,” one that unfolds against the backdrop of geopolitical conflict. It follows Reem, a young mother married to a jealous man, who goes to Huda’s salon in Bethlehem for a haircut and an attentive ear. But this visit turns sour when Huda, after having put Reem in a shameful situation, blackmails her.
“Huda’s Salon” will have its world premiere as an official selection at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival in September. IFC Films is planning a release in 2022. The indie studio has two other films playing in Toronto, Mia Hansen-Løve’s “Bergman Island” and Ruth Paxton’s “A Banquet.”
“To finally have the chance to work with IFC Films...
- 8/11/2021
- by Brent Lang
- Variety Film + TV
Huda’s Salon
Palestinian director Hany Abu-Assad heads into his eighth feature with Huda’s Salon, a based-on-a-true-story nightmare which was forced to halt production twice due to the pandemic. Scripted by Abu-Assad, he’s joined in the producer’s seat by Amira and Maher Diab, Shahinaz el Akkad, and Alaa Karkouti. Lensed by Ehab Assal (who shot Abu-Assad’s Omar and The Idol), Manal Awad stars as Huda, joined by the stellar Ali Suliman, Maisa Abd Elhadi, and Samer Bisharat. Abu-Assad’a major breakout was 2005’s Paradise Now, which competed in Berlin and won several prizes. 2013’s Omar played in Un Certain Regard at Cannes where it picked up a Special Jury Prize and his 2002 debut Rana’s Wedding was in Critics’ Week.…...
Palestinian director Hany Abu-Assad heads into his eighth feature with Huda’s Salon, a based-on-a-true-story nightmare which was forced to halt production twice due to the pandemic. Scripted by Abu-Assad, he’s joined in the producer’s seat by Amira and Maher Diab, Shahinaz el Akkad, and Alaa Karkouti. Lensed by Ehab Assal (who shot Abu-Assad’s Omar and The Idol), Manal Awad stars as Huda, joined by the stellar Ali Suliman, Maisa Abd Elhadi, and Samer Bisharat. Abu-Assad’a major breakout was 2005’s Paradise Now, which competed in Berlin and won several prizes. 2013’s Omar played in Un Certain Regard at Cannes where it picked up a Special Jury Prize and his 2002 debut Rana’s Wedding was in Critics’ Week.…...
- 1/3/2021
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
The title “Gaza Mon Amour” carries threatening echoes of those cutesy auteur short anthologies in which assorted drifting souls find love in the same scenic city streets. Happily, Palestinian twin filmmakers Arab and Tarzan Nasser’s entirely self-contained feature is nothing so slick or glib, though it boasts internationally flavored romantic whimsy in spades. Mixing a minor-key midlife love story with gently politicized farce against the turbulent backdrop of the Gaza Strip, the Nassers’ amiably shaggy film does, in fact, feel a little like a gossamer-weight short that has been stretched to breaking point at a hair under 90 minutes — only just sustained by its vivid sense of place and the unforced charisma of stars Salim Daw and Hiam Abbass.
Such charms have made “Gaza Mon Amour” well-liked on the festival circuit: It secured spots at Venice and Toronto in the fall, before being named Palestine’s submission for the international feature Oscar.
Such charms have made “Gaza Mon Amour” well-liked on the festival circuit: It secured spots at Venice and Toronto in the fall, before being named Palestine’s submission for the international feature Oscar.
- 12/31/2020
- by Guy Lodge
- Variety Film + TV
Production has finally completed on “Huda’s Salon,” the new film from double Academy-Award nominated director Hany Abu-Assad. Production was halted twice this year because of regulations brought in to stop the spread of coronavirus. Variety spoke to the Palestinian director from his home in Nazareth after he gave a masterclass via Zoom at the Cairo Film Festival.
Written and directed by Abu-Assad, “Huda’s Salon” is based on real-life events telling the story of a woman whose visit to a hair salon turns into a nightmare when its owner blackmails her. Starring Manal Awad, Maisa Abd Elhadi and Ali Suliman, filming took place on location in Nazareth and Bethlehem.
H&a Production, the company run by Abu-Assad and his wife Amira Diab, are lead producing, alongside Egyptian producer and Cairo Film Festival head honcho Mohamed Hefzy at Film Clinic. Philistine Films came on board during the lockdown. Sales are...
Written and directed by Abu-Assad, “Huda’s Salon” is based on real-life events telling the story of a woman whose visit to a hair salon turns into a nightmare when its owner blackmails her. Starring Manal Awad, Maisa Abd Elhadi and Ali Suliman, filming took place on location in Nazareth and Bethlehem.
H&a Production, the company run by Abu-Assad and his wife Amira Diab, are lead producing, alongside Egyptian producer and Cairo Film Festival head honcho Mohamed Hefzy at Film Clinic. Philistine Films came on board during the lockdown. Sales are...
- 12/6/2020
- by Kaleem Aftab
- Variety Film + TV
Palestinian director discusses dealing with lockdown and resuming shooting post-Covid-19.
Palestinian director Hany Abu-Assad is gearing up to return to the set of his upcoming feature Huda’s Salon on July 15, after shooting was suspended on March 20 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The “feminist spy thriller” set in the West Bank city of Bethlehem was three weeks into a six week-shoot when it shut down on March 20. Production will be able to start up again as soon the borders of Israel and the Palestinian West Bank reopen to non-citizens, enabling five key international crew members to fly in.
The reopening...
Palestinian director Hany Abu-Assad is gearing up to return to the set of his upcoming feature Huda’s Salon on July 15, after shooting was suspended on March 20 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The “feminist spy thriller” set in the West Bank city of Bethlehem was three weeks into a six week-shoot when it shut down on March 20. Production will be able to start up again as soon the borders of Israel and the Palestinian West Bank reopen to non-citizens, enabling five key international crew members to fly in.
The reopening...
- 6/24/2020
- by 1100388¦Melanie Goodfellow¦69¦
- ScreenDaily
It is the Golden Globe-winning and Oscar-nominated director’s first feature shot in Palestine since his 2015 Gaza-set drama The Idol.
Memento Films International (Mfi) has boarded sales on Palestinian director Hany Abu-Assad’s new film Huda’s Salon, which is billed as a “feminist spy thriller” set in the West Bank town of Bethlehem.
It is the Golden Globe-winning and Oscar-nominated director’s first feature shot in Palestine since his 2015 drama The Idol about a talented young singer who makes his way out of the Gaza Strip to compete in Arab Idol.
Based on real events, the new film co-stars...
Memento Films International (Mfi) has boarded sales on Palestinian director Hany Abu-Assad’s new film Huda’s Salon, which is billed as a “feminist spy thriller” set in the West Bank town of Bethlehem.
It is the Golden Globe-winning and Oscar-nominated director’s first feature shot in Palestine since his 2015 drama The Idol about a talented young singer who makes his way out of the Gaza Strip to compete in Arab Idol.
Based on real events, the new film co-stars...
- 2/20/2020
- by 1100388¦Melanie Goodfellow¦0¦
- ScreenDaily
The film is inspired by the true story of an Ancient Greek statue that was fished out of the sea off Gaza and then disappeared.
Paris-based sales company Versatile has revealed fresh details for Palestinian directors Arab and Tarzan Nasser’s upcoming Gaza-set film Apollo, which is currently in post-production having shot in Jordan and Portugal.
The fraternal directorial duo’s debut feature Degradé, about a group of women trapped in their local hair salon by fighting, premiered in Cannes Critics’ Week in 2015. Prior to that, their short film Condom Lead played in Cannes Official Selection.
They have returned to...
Paris-based sales company Versatile has revealed fresh details for Palestinian directors Arab and Tarzan Nasser’s upcoming Gaza-set film Apollo, which is currently in post-production having shot in Jordan and Portugal.
The fraternal directorial duo’s debut feature Degradé, about a group of women trapped in their local hair salon by fighting, premiered in Cannes Critics’ Week in 2015. Prior to that, their short film Condom Lead played in Cannes Official Selection.
They have returned to...
- 2/13/2020
- by 1100388¦Melanie Goodfellow¦0¦
- ScreenDaily
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