Following its successful Arab World premiere at the Doha Film Festival, documentary MY FATHER AND QADDAFI, by Jihan, continued its remarkable journey with a screening at the 22nd Marrakech International Film Festival (November 28th – December 6th), where it was met with great applause and a standing ovation, marking a memorable moment in its festival run.
 
The screening was attended by Jihan, her mother, her sister, and the film’s music composer. Before the film began, Jihan took to the stage to introduce the work, sharing her vision and setting the tone for an evening that resonated strongly with audiences.
 
Jihan’s MY FATHER AND QADDAFI follows a daughter as she unravels the disappearance of her father, the opposition leader to Qaddafi, and pieces together her mother’s 19-year search to find him. Without any memory of her father, she tries to reconnect with him and reconcile with her Libyan identity.
 
A US and Libyan production, MY FATHER AND QADDAFI held its world premiere at the Venice International Film Festival — becoming the first Libyan film in 13 years to do so — and has since screened at numerous film festivals, including Chicago, Middle East Now, CinemaMED Festival, and the Arab Film Festival in the US, most recently winning the Valentina Pedicini Award at the MedFilm Festival.
 
Featuring Jihan herself, Baha Al Omary, and the late Mansur Rashid Kikhia as main characters, the 88-minute documentary is lensed by Micah Walker and Mike McLaughlin, and edited by Alessandro Dordoni, Chloe Lambourne (of the Oscar-nominated FOR SAMA), and Nicole Halova.
 
MY FATHER AND QADDAFI is produced by Jihan and Valentina Castellani-Quinn, in association with Quiet. It is co-produced by Andreas Rocksén and William Johansson Kalén of Laika Film & Television AB, with executive producers Dave Guenette, Mohamed Soueid, and Sol Guy, and associate producers Shahla Karkouti Elms and Austin Ray. MAD World handles the film’s worldwide sales, while MAD Distribution manages its distribution across the Arab World.
 
Throughout its production, the film received funding from several international sources, including Quiet, the Doha Film Institute, Arab Fund for Arts and Culture, International Documentary Association, CineGouna Funding, International Media Support, Hot Docs-Blue Ice Docs Fund, Malmö Arab Film Festival, and the Swedish Film Institute. It also participated in several labs, including Close Up Lab, DFI QUMRA, Durban Filmmart, Between Women Filmmakers Caravan Consultancy, Medimed Euro-Med Doc Market & Pitching Forum, and First Cut Lab.
 
Jihan earned her BA in International and Comparative Politics, concentrating on Human Rights, Philosophy, and International Law, from the American University of Paris. She holds an MA from New York University’s Gallatin School of Individualized Study, focusing on art education and storytelling. In 2012, her article ‘Libya, My Father, and I’ was published in Kalimat Magazine: Arab Thought and Culture. Jihan is dedicated to exploring how free expression can serve as a vehicle for empowerment and understanding.