Hany Abu-Assad's HUDA’S SALON Commercially Releases In Tunisian Theaters

release date October 15 2022

HUDA’S SALON, directed by award-winning Palestinian director Hany Abu-Assad, will make the commercial debut of its Arab World tour in Tunisia, starting on Wednesday, October 19th, in the following theaters: Cinémadart Carthage, Amilcar Tunis, Metropolis Menzel Bourguiba, and Majestic Bizerte.

The film’s debut will take place in Cinémadart Carthage on Wednesday, October 19th, and will be followed by a discussion with director Hany Abu-Assad at 8 pm (GMT). The film is expected to be released in other Arab countries soon.

The official trailer was published a few days ago on the film's official accounts on Facebook and Instagram, and you can check it here: https://www.facebook.com/HudasSalon/videos/1562247807567697

HUDA’S SALON was featured at several Arab prestigious festivals including Tetouan Mediterranean Film Festival in Morocco, where it received Special Jury Prize, Lebanon (Beirut International Women Film Festival), where it received Special Jury Mention, and UAE where it opened Reel Palestine Film Festival and META Film Fest in Dubai. The film landed its Arab world premiere at the Red Sea International Film Festival. The film's actress, Maisa Abd Elhadi, won Best Actress at the Critics Awards for Arab Films presented by Arab Cinema Center.

Internationally, HUDA’S SALON was screened in several US cinemas, it also landed its world premiere at Toronto International Film Festival. It was also featured at Nashville Film Festival in the US and Valladolid International Film Festival in Spain, Calgary Arab Film Nights Festival in Canada, the Middle East Now Film Festival in Florence, ANA Contemporary Arab Cinema in the US, Arabisches Film Festival in Germany.

HUDA’S SALON was among the Arab films that garnered international acclaim last year, especially since it was praised by top news websites like The New York Times, Boston Herald, Los Angeles Times, The New Yorker, and Variety, to name a few. Many good reviews were written lately about the film. “The interrogation scene between Huda and Hasan lasts for the entirety of the film, and it's masterfully done (both written and performed),” mentioned Roger Ebert. “It offers dramatic surprises while bequeathing a more lasting anxiety,” The New Yorker stated. “Thanks to filmmaker Hany Abu-Assad, this long-underserved sub-genre - once perfected by directors like Hitchcock - feels briefly resurrected thanks to his new picture Huda’s Salon,” stated The Film Stage. “Nearly every scene takes the form of a single unbroken shot, a technique that sometimes pulls you in and sometimes merely calls attention to its own virtuosity,” stated The Los Angeles Times. While Variety stated that“With wisdom and calmness, Manal Awad embodied Huda's escalating situation during the investigation scene.”

The film was also described as “an emotional rollercoaster, in the best way imaginable… This film is a masterpiece — you can't miss it” by Alisha Mughal, via Exclaim!, “This is a return to form and to more familiar territory for Abu-Assad” by Wendy Ide, via Screen Daily, and “Huda’s Salon” doesn’t waste a second… zooming from easy chatter to absolutely horrifying drama” by Kate Erbland, via Indie Wire.

Based on real events, HUDA’S SALON is a heart-racing, entertaining feminist thriller, where two women fight for their freedom. Reem, a young mother who is married to a jealous man, goes to Huda’s salon in Bethlehem for a haircut and an attentive ear. However, this ordinary visit turns sour after Huda puts Reem in a shameful situation, blackmails her to work for the secret service of the occupiers, and betrays her people.

Written and directed by Hany Abu-Assad, HUDA’S SALON stars Ali Suliman, Manal Awad, and Maisa Abd Elhadi. The film is produced by H&A Production (Hany Abu-Assad and Amira Diab), Film Clinic (Mohamed Hefzy), and co-produced by MAD Solutions (Maher Diab and Alaa Karkouti), and Lagoonie Film Production (Shahinaz El Akkad), while Daniel Ziskind of Film Clinic is the film’s co-producer. The film is also co-produced by Key Films, Cocoon, and Philistine Films. MEMENTO INTERNATIONAL handles worldwide distribution, while MAD Solutions and Lagoonie Film Production handle the film’s distribution across the Arab world.

Palestinian screenwriter and director Hany Abu-Assad is one of the most eminent Arab directors. His filmography includes several exceptional Arab films that gained exceptional international recognition, such as PARADISE NOW (2005), which was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film and won a Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film, and the film OMAR (2013) that also received a nomination for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. In 2017, Abu-Assad directed THE MOUNTAIN BETWEEN US, starring Kate Winslet and Idris Elba, which opened the 39th edition of the Cairo International Film Festival (CIFF). HUDA’S SALON is his latest feature film.