Lebanese Premiere of The Journey Witnesses Massive Attendance of Public Figures and the Media

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Releases at the Metropolis Cinema in Beirut for One Week

Lebanese Premiere of The Journey Witnesses Massive Attendance of Public Figures and the Media


Held yesterday, Wednesday, October 3, the Lebanese premiere of The Journey by director Mohamed Al Daradji at the Metropolis Empire Sofil Cinema in Beirut witnessed a massive attendance of media reps and public figures. This event took place ahead of the film's theatrical release in Lebanese theaters starting Thursday, October 4. The film will have four screenings daily for one week at 04:00 PM, 06:00 PM, 08:00 PM and 10:00 PM.

Along with director Mohamed Al Daradji and lead actress Zahraa Ghandour, the premiere night was attended by Iraq's Ambassador to Lebanon, Ali Al-Amri, Tunisia's Ambassador and Algeria's Ambassador, along with a number of Lebanese filmmakers and a huge attendance of local and international media.

Recently, Iraq's Ministry of Culture selected The Journey to be its official submission to the 2019 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film and that's after the film has taken part in several international film festivalswinning a total of six awards, in addition to receiving positive reviews and critical and audience acclaim.

The Journey received a Special Mention at the Oran Arabic International Film Festival in Algeria, and before that, it landed its Jordanian premiere at the 24th Franco Arab Film Festival. The film won the Jury Award and Best Actress Award at the Muscat International Film Festival, in addition to the Special Jury Award at its Egyptian premiere at the Sharm El-Sheikh Film Festival, and the Grand Prize of the Arab World Institute to director Mohamed Al Daradji and Best Actress Award to Zahraa Ghandour at the Festival des Cinémas Arabes à Paris in France.

The film's events take place in Baghdad in 2006. As Sara stands on the cusp of committing an unthinkable act, an unforeseen and awkward encounter gives her the opportunity to witness the potential consequences of her destructive action. But is this a second chance or an admission of guilt?

The Journey screened at more than 10 international festivals all over the world. It landed its Arab world premiere at the 14th Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF), within the Muhr Feature competition, competed in the official competitions of the BFI London Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival and the Busan International Film Festival and made its US premiere at the Miami Film Festival. The Journey also screened at the Cairo Cinema Days inEgypt.

Directed by Mohamed Al Daradji, who co-wrote the film with Isabelle Stead, The Journey stars Zahraa Ghandour and Ameer Jbara. The film is produced by Human Film, Iraqi Independent Film Center (IIFC), in cooperation with Lionceau Films, Iraq Al-Rafidain and Iraqi Media Network. The Journey received grants from the Doha Film Institute, AFAC - The Arab Fund for Arts and Culture, World Cinema Fund (WCF), the Centre National du Cinéma et de l'image Animée (CNC) of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Development, Institut Français, Netherlands Film Fund, SANAD Development Fund (Abu Dhabi Film Festival) and Screen Yorkshire. The film is distributed in the Arab world by MAD Solutions.