DIRTY, DIFFICULT, DANGEROUS commercially releases in UAE’s cinema Akil

release date October 07 2023

Following the release of its Mena poster and official trailer on Social media platforms, DIRTY, DIFFICULT, DANGEROUS by Wissam Charaf will be commercially released in cinema Akil in Dubai as of October 15th for one week.

The film is also set to have one screening during Arab Cinema Week, which will take place in Akil from October 6th to 14th.

Previously, DIRTY, DIFFICULT, DANGEROUS world premiered at the Venice International Film Festival, where it won the Label Europa Cinemas' Best Film Award, making its director Wissam Charaf the first Arab director to win such a prize.

Also, the jury gave it high marks, calling it “a very original and surprisingly uplifting film.”

Right after the historic world premiere at Venice, the film went on to screen at several prestigious film festivals, winning numerous awards, including the MOZAIK Bridging the Borders Award at the Palm Springs International Film Festival, the Critic Choice Award's Special Mention at the Filmfest Hamburg, and the Audience Award in the Feature Film Category at the Entrevues Film Festival.

DIRTY, DIFFICULT, DANGEROUS received wide critical acclaim locally and internationally, with Matthew Joseph Jenner from the International Cinephile Society describing it as “a beautifully crafted film that has echoes of many of the great magical realists of the past embedded deeply in its fabric."

Meanwhile, E. Nina Rothe of Moving Image Middle East praised the film, saying "Wissam Charaf's second feature tells the touchingly beautiful story of two human beings who are condemned to carry each other throughout their struggling existence and yet whose paradise lies within one another and the pure love they carry in their burdened hearts."

Roaming the streets of Beirut searching for metal objects to be recycled, Ahmed, a Syrian refugee, thought he’d find love with Mehdia, an Ethiopian domestic. But in this city, such a story seems almost impossible. Will this couple be able to find the way to freedom given that Ahmed suffers from a mysterious illness that slowly turns his body into metal?

DIRTY, DIFFICULT, DANGEROUS was supported by CNC, Corsica Region, Doha Film Institute, Red Sea Fund, Italy’s Ministry of Culture, Fonds Image de la Francophonie, and MEDIA. It was awarded a complete promotion package from the Red Sea International Film Festival, received the Award of the French Institute in Tunisia from Carthage Pro Professional platform, the Arte Prize in Busan Film Festival, and the CNC Award in Dubai Film Connection.

Directed by Wissam Charaf, who co-wrote it with Hala Dabaji and Mariette Désert, the film stars Clara Couture, Ziad Jallad, Rifaat Tarabay and Darina Al Joundi. It is produced by Aurora Films, Né à Beyrouth Films, and Intramovies. MAD Solutions manages the film’s distribution in the Arab world, while Intramovies manages the international sales.

Wissam Charaf is a Lebanese/French director, cameraman, and editor. In 1998, he began to work with the French/German network ARTE as a news cameraman, editor, and journalist. He has since covered major conflict areas ranging from Lebanon to Darfur, Afghanistan, and North Korea. He worked on programs like ARTE Info, ARTE Reportages, Metropolis, and Tracks.

He also worked as an assistant director with Danielle Arbid and on music videos with French director Henri-Jean Debon for artists such as Noir Desir, Sinead O'Connor, and the Asian Dub Foundation.

He directed six short fiction films: Hizz Ya Wizz, A Hero Never Dies, An Army of Ants, After (awarded in Pantin, Brive), Unforgettable Memory of a Friend (awarded in Pantin, Clermont-Ferrand, Rhode Island, and pre-selected for Best Short Film in the Cesar 2020) and Don’t Panic (Clermont-Ferrand), as well as It’s All in Lebanon, a documentary awarded in the Carthage Festival.

His first feature film, Heaven Sent, was selected at the ACID section of the 2016 Cannes Festival. Currently, he is working on his new short.