Marking the 10th award in its triumphant festival journey, the highly acclaimed Jordanian film INSHALLAH A BOY by Amjad Al-Rasheed just won the Director's Debut Award at the Camerimage Film Festival, which ran from November 11th to the 18th in Poland.
 
Solidifying its reputation as a cinematic gem, the recent triumph of INSHALLAH A BOY at Camerimage — which is renowned for its celebration of cinematography with the prestigious Director's Debut (Golden Frog) Award — not only honors the exceptional direction and visual storytelling of Al-Rasheed but also serves as a testament to the film's extraordinary contribution to the cinematic landscape.
 
INSHALLAH A BOY tells the story of the recently widowed Nawal, who has to save her daughter and home following her husband’s death in a society where having a son is a game changer.
 
Al-Rasheed's feature-length directorial debut, which has already received widespread praise and recognition at numerous international film festivals, has amassed nine other international awards so far, among them the Gan Foundation Award and the Rail D'Or Award for Best Feature Film — both bestowed upon it at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival.
 
The film also won Best Performance at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards, Best Actress at the Thessaloniki International Film Festival, and Best Screenplay for a Narrative Feature Award at the Mystic Film Festival.
 
Additionally, the Royal Film Commission of Jordan chose INSHALLAH A BOY to represent the country in the race for the 2024 Academy Award for Best International Feature Film, marking a significant turning point in Jordanian cinematic history and reaffirming the film's status as a standout with enormous cultural significance.
 
The film's success also extends beyond the Asia-Pacific region, having participated in renowned film festivals such as Karlovy Vary, Melbourne, BFI London, Sydney, Toronto, Hamburg, New Zealand, and World Cinema Amsterdam.
 
Directed by Al-Rasheed and co-written alongside Delphine Agut and Rula Nasser, the film stars Mouna Hawa, Haitham Omari, Salwa Nakkara, Yumna Marwan, Mohammad Al-Jizawi, Islam Al-Awadi, and Celina Rabab'a.
 
Additionally, the film was produced by Nasser and Abu Ayyash; co-produced by Youssef Abdelnabi, Raphaël Alexandre, and Nicolas Leprêtre; associate produced by Alaa Karkouti, Maher Diab, and Shahinaz El-Akkad; lensed by Kanamé Onoyama; edited by the prolific Ahmed Hafez; sound mixed by Nour Halawani; and scored by Jerry Lane. Also, Zeina Soufan and Nasser Zoubi served as the project's costume and production designers, respectively.
 
In terms of the larger companies at play, the film was produced by Imaginarium Films and co-produced by Georges Films and Bayt Al-Shawareb. Meanwhile, MAD Solutions and Lagoonie Film Production are in charge of distributing it all over the Arab world, and Pyramide International is handling international sales and distribution in France.
 
A Jordanian director and writer born in 1985, Al-Rasheed holds an MFA in cinematic arts with a focus on directing and editing. In 2016, he was selected by Screen International as one of five Arab Stars of Tomorrow — a list highlighting the up-and-coming young talents of the region. He also attended the Talent Campus during the 57th Berlinale, after which he directed short films that garnered nominations and won prizes at various Arab and international film festivals.
 
His filmography includes THE PARROT — a short film he co-directed in 2016 that was funded by the Film Prize of the Robert Bosch Stiftung — HIT THE ROAD (2011), and BITTER DAYS (2010).