Directed by Anas Tolba, feature film Between Two Seas, screens at the 22nd edition of Arab World Festival of Montreal (Oct. 29-Nov.13). It will screen on Friday, October 25, at 5:00PM.
 
Book your tickets from here:
https://festivalarabe.com/en
 
Founded in 2001, the Arab World Festival of Montreal is a multidisciplinary event dedicated to the meeting of Arab and Western cultures.  With a different theme each year, the festival curates a stunning programme featuring a wide variety of cultural activities.
 
Between Two Seas  received 21 awards in total, the last of which was the Special Jury Mention at the Beirut International Women Film Festival.  Previously, the film won six awards at the Egyptian National Film Festival, the Best Poster award at the annual Film Society Festival For Egyptian Cinema, two Best Director awards for Anas Tolba and Best Script at Festival International du Cinéma de la Diversité Taza in Morocco. It also won Best Narrative Feature and a Certificate of Outstanding Achievement (Screenplay), at the Brooklyn Film Festival and two other awards during its world premiere at the 3^rd Aswan International Women Film Festival (AIWFF).
 
The film was screened at several regional and international film festivals, including the Red Carpet Human Rights Film Festival in Palestine, Karama Human Rights Film Festival in Jordan, Religion Today Film Festival in Italy, Aarhus Arab Film Festival in Denmark, Arab Film Festival Tübingen in Germany, and the Mostra de Valencia in Spain.
 
While on a short visit to her home village, a small rural island near Cairo, Zahra's daughter is exposed to a tragic accident. Following this incident, Zahra persists on getting her daughter's rights and insists on not only continuing her education but also benefiting her community. The film sheds light on different societal issues faced by women, especially in rural areas.
 
Directed by Anas Tolba and written by Mariam Naoum, based on a script by Amany El Tounsy and Karim El Dalil, Between Two Seas stars Fatma Adel, Yara Goubran, Tharaa Goubail, Mahmoud Fares, Arfa Abdel Rassoul, and Lobna Wanas. The film is produced by Axeer and executive produced by Abdelrahman Al Garwani. MAD Solutions handles the film’s marketing and distribution in the Arab world. Also, it is a joint collaboration between the National Council for Women, UN Women, Axeer, along with a number of development partners as part of their belief in the important role that cinema plays in changing negative perceptions towards women in different societies.
 
Anas Tolba is an Egyptian filmmaker who started his career in 2010 by co-founding the media production company, Axeer. He directed many music videos for a large number of singers and artists from across the Arab world, including: Zap Tharwat, Hamza Namira, and Cairokee. In 2013, he directed and produced his first 30-minute documentary, Extracurricular that features a mother who believes in the power of traveling to educate her children. In 2017, he directed his first 15-minute short film, Mariam and The Sun. The film was recognized with Jury Selection Awards in the Accolade Film Competition and the Hollywood Film Festival.