Palestinian feature THANK YOU FOR BANKING WITH US! to compete at 65th Thessaloniki Film Festival

release date October 16 2024

Palestinian director Laila Abbas’ latest feature THANK YOU FOR BANKING WITH US! is scheduled to screen at the 65th Thessaloniki Film Festival (October 31st to the 10th of November), where it will be competing in the Meet The Neighbors+ Section.

Before that, the film is set to have its MENA premiere at the seventh El Gouna Film Festival in Egypt after the conclusion of its world premiere at the BFI London Film Festival.

THANK YOU FOR BANKING WITH US! is a tale about the intricacies of sisterhood and family, which tackles the challenges of remittance laws. Upon discovering that their father left behind a substantial sum of money, two sisters devise an elaborate scheme to abscond with the funds before their brother — who is legally entitled to half the inheritance — learns of their father's death.

Notably, THANK YOU FOR BANKING WITH US! is the final film shot in the West Bank before the events of the ongoing genocide.

The jury for this year’s Meet The Neighbors+ Competition will feature Ukrainian filmmaker Maryna Er Gorbach, actress Manal Awad, and distributor Vassilis Sourrapas, who will be handing out a Golden Alexander for Best Film and a Silver Alexander for Best Director, with the former coming with a €10,000 cash prize and the latter €5,000.

With MAD World handling the film's worldwide sales and distribution rights, THANK YOU FOR BANKING WITH US! is a joint production between Germany and Palestine that is written and directed by Laila Abbas. It is co-produced by Founder and Artistic Director of Palestine Cinema Days Hanna Atallah and Ronza Kamel through their company August Films and Roshanak Behesht Nedjad through her Berlin-based production outfit, In Good Company Films.

Laila Abbas — a 2019 Berlinale Talents alumnus — is a Palestinian filmmaker and academic who studied cinema in Jordan and film & TV production at Royal Holloway University in the UK with a Said Foundation Scholarship. In 2013, she released her acclaimed film ICE & DUST then worked as an instructor at the Institute of Modern Media at Alquds University.

The 65th Thessaloniki Film Festival runs from October 31st to the 10th of November.