North American Premiere
Waleed (Amer Hlehel), a cynical 40-year-old Palestinian Arab living in Haifa, struggles with chronic depression and writer’s block. Two years in therapy have felt like a waste of his wife’s money, and tensions in his marriage are on the rise. His half-hearted attempts at finding a quiet reprieve in novel writing are frustrated by the arrival of his cocky new neighbour Jalal (Ashraf Farah), a handyman and low-level criminal who likes blasting pop music at top volume.
Waleed’s initial annoyance with him soon morphs into fascination when he learns that Jalal is deeply indebted to some dangerous men. He starts tagging along for Jalal’s shake-downs, ostensibly as research for his crime novel. Their complicated new friendship takes a darker and more dangerous turn when Waleed’s ulterior motives come to light. Compelling and psychologically nuanced, Maha Haj’s dramatic black comedy casts a wry and affecting look at class struggle, masculine pride, and mental illness.
Best Screenplay, Cannes (Un Certain Regard) 2022
Community Partner
Amer Hlehel, Ashraf Farah, Anat Hadid, Samir Elias, Cynthia Saleem, Shaden Kanboura
Palestine/Germany/France/Cyprus/Qatar
2022
In Arabic with English subtitles
Self Harm
Book Tickets
Missing VIFF? Check out what's playing at the VIFF Centre
Tokyo Godfathers
Shinjuku, Tokyo, Christmas Eve. Middle-aged has-been Gin, aging drag artist Hana, and teenage runaway Miyuki are three homeless friends who stumble across an abandoned baby and do their best to care for the infant over the course of a long and perilous night.
You Got Gold: A Celebration of John Prine
A remarkable line up of artists come together to share their love for the great American singer-songwriter John Prine, including Lucinda Williams, Steve Earle, Bonnie Raitt, Brandi Carlile, Jason Isbell, Kurt Vile and Kasey Musgraves.
The Secret Agent
Having run afoul of an influential bureaucrat in Brazil’s military dictatorship circa 1977, Marcelo decamps to Recife to live under an assumed name — but he’ll soon come to understand precisely how rampant the country’s corruption has become.
It's a Wonderful Life
Every time a bell rings, an angel gets its wings. This Christmas classic is whimsical, sure, but it has the depth to stand up to multiple watches, and it really should be a communal experience, because that is what it's about.
Credits
Producer
Baher Aghbariya, Thanassis Karathanos, Martin Hampel, Juliette Lepoutre, Pierre Menahem, Marios Piperides, Janine Teerling
Screenwriter
Maha Haj
Cinematography
Antoine Héberlé
Editor
Véronique Lange
Production Design
Andreas Antoniou
Original Music
Munder Odeh
Director
Maha Haj
Maha Haj graduated from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in English and Arabic literature. She wrote and directed the short film Oranges (2009) and the documentary Behind These Walls (2010). In 2015, she shot her first feature film Personal Affairs, which was selected for the 2016 Cannes Film Festival’s Un Certain Regard category. The film also won the Haifa Film Festival’s Best Feature Award in 2016 and the International Mediterranean Film Festival Montpellier of Mediterranean Cinema (Cinémed) Critics’ Award, among others.
Filmography: Behind These Walls (2010); Personal Affairs (2016)