Haifa Street and Between Heaven and Earth Take Part in Dhaka International Film Festival

Back to Press Releases

Within the Asian Film Competition

Haifa Street and Between Heaven and Earth Take Part in Dhaka International Film Festival


Haifa Street by Mohanad Hayal and Between Heaven and Earth by Najwa Najjar will compete within the Asian film competition at the Dhaka International Film Festival, Bangladesh (January 16-24). The two films are distributed by MAD Solutions.

Founded in 1992, Dhaka International Film Festival is an annual film festival and one of the most prominent cultural events in Bangladesh, where this year 200 films from across the world will compete.

About Haifa Street:
Set in Baghdad in 2006, Haifa Street is one of the most dangerous places suffering from the civil war and violence that has plagued the city. When Ahmed is dropped off there by a taxi on his way to his beloved Suad's house to ask for her hand in marriage, he gets shot by Salam, an anxious young sniper who is living his own personal hell on a rooftop above. Suad desperately tries to save Ahmed, but Salam prevents anyone from approaching him under the threat of gunfire. When her daughter Nadia elicits the help of their cunning neighbor, Dalal, all hell breaks loose under the ominous presence of the American occupation.

Directed by Mohanad Hayal, who co-wrote it with Hala Alsalman, Haifa Street won eight international award and stars Ali Thamer, Asad Abdulmajeed, Yumna Marwan, and Iman Abdulhassan. The film is produced by Sumerian Dream Productions. Wide Management handles the film's worldwide distribution, while MAD Solutions handles its distribution and marketing across the Arab world.

Screening Times

Saturday, January 23, at 7:00 PM-Bangladesh National Museum
Sunday, January 24, at 3:00 PM-Shilpakala Academy

About Between Heaven and Earth:
A thirty-something couple, Salma and Tamer, have been married for the past five years and living in the Palestinian Territory. The first time Tamer is ever given a three-day permit to cross the Israeli checkpoint, is to file for divorce in the courts in Nazareth. At the courthouse, they are confronted with a staggering discovery about the past of Tamer’s father; a secret which sends Salma and Tamer spinning on an emotional road trip exploring the loss and betrayal of the past, and of themselves.

Directed by Najwa Najjar, Between Heaven and Earth is now screening for the fifth week in a row at Zawya cinema. The film won Naguib Mahfouz Award for Best Screenplay, during the last edition of Cairo International Film Festival where it landed its world premiere; also, it screened within the European Film Market at Berlin International Film Festival. MAD Solutions handles the film’s distribution across the Arab world.

Screening Times

Saturday, January 16, at 3:00 PM - Central Public Library Auditorium