Firas Khoury’s ALAM set to screen for a limited time at Cinema Akil this October

release date October 15 2023

Firas Khoury’s award-winning drama feature ALAM will have a limited release at the UAE’s esteemed Cinema Akil this October, with the film screenings starting from October 15th to the 26th.

ALAM — which stars Mahmood Bakri, Sereen Khass, Saleh Bakri, and Mohammad Karaki — follows the story of a Palestinian teenager named Tamer.

Tamer and his friends lead typical teenage lives until one day, he is swept off his feet by the arrival of the beautiful Maysaa. As he grows closer to her, Tamer agrees to take part in a mysterious and life-changing operation dubbed ‘Alam.’

Directed and written by Firas Khoury, the drama feature has enjoyed a very successful festival run so far, with the most recent being the Amman, Tripoli, and Reel Palestine film festivals, as well as the Tetouan Mediterranean Film Festival, where the film took home the Best Debut Feature Film Award. The film also enjoyed a commercial release at Zawya Cinema’s Cairo Cinema Days.

Other prestigious awards for the film include the Young Jury Award at the Brussels’ Cinemamed Festival and the NETPAC Award for Best Asian Film at the 27th International Film Festival of Kerala, where its director Firas Khoury also received the Rajata Chakoram for Best Debut Director.

ALAM held its Arab world premiere at the 2022 Cairo International Film Festival, where it scored three awards, including the Golden Pyramid Award for Best Film — the festival's top accolade for outstanding films in the international competition — the Best Actor Award for Palestinian actor Mahmood Bakri, and Youssef Cherif Rizkallah's Audience Award.

Moreover, it was featured in the Festival Favorites category of the 2022 edition of the Red Sea International Film Festival, held its world premiere at the 47th Toronto International Film Festival's Contemporary World Cinema Category, and screened at the Rome, Santa Barbara, Göteborg, and San Diego Arab film festivals.

ALAM was produced by Marie Pierre Macia, Claire Gadéa, Naomie Lagadec, Melik Kochbati, and Ossama Bawardi, lensed by Frida Marzouk, and edited by Nadia Ben Rachid, with music by Faraj Suleiman.

In terms of bigger companies at play, ALAM was produced by MPM Film, Paprika Films, and Philistine Films, and co-produced by Lacydon Bay Productions, Metafora Production, and the Red Sea Film Festival Foundation, with Arab world distribution by MAD Solutions and Lagoonie Film Production.

The feature film received a grant from the Doha Film Institute and a $20,000 script development grant from the Abu Dhabi Film Festival's SANAD Fund.

It was also chosen to participate in the Cinéfondation Workshop at the 2017 edition of the Cannes Film Festival and the 2019 Venice GAP-Financing Market; received a $10,000 grant from Cairo Film Connection — the CIFF's Co-Production Market — and was featured at the Atlas Workshops of the Marrakech International Film Festival.

Cinema Akil is an independent cinema platform that brings quality films from across the world to audiences in the UAE.

Showcasing directors and filmmakers across the decades, Cinema Akil aims to create awareness and interest in film and the cinematic arts.

Launched in 2014 as a nomadic cinema, Cinema Akil has held over 60 pop-up cinemas attracting over 65,000 attendees in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Sharjah, and in September 2018, Cinema Akil opened its first permanent location in Al Quoz, Dubai, making it the GCC’s first arthouse cinema.