Rachid Hami’s FOR MY COUNTRY holds successful Arab world premiere at CIFF

release date November 15 2022

Rachid Hami’s latest feature film FOR MY COUNTRY held its Arab world premiere on November 14th at the 44th Cairo International Film Festival – which is running from the 13th to the 22nd – in the presence of its director and leading actors Karim Leklou and Samir Guesmi.

The screening earned the audience and critics’ admiration, later holding a successful discussion with the director and receiving wide media coverage.

Additionally, Hami and Leklou expressed their excitement over attending CIFF for the first time, adding that they are honored that their film held its Arab world premiere at such a prestigious festival.

The film is scheduled to have a second screening on Tuesday, November 15th at the Ewart Hall of Tahrir Cultural Center at 3:00 pm.

The film follows the story of Ismael as he fights for justice for his Algerian-born brother Aissa, who died while training at a French military academy.

FOR MY COUNTRY held its world premiere at the Venice International Film Festival, where it was nominated for the Venice Orizzonti Award for Best Film. It was also featured at the Stockholm International Film Festival, where it was nominated for the Bronze Horse for Best Film.

The film was critically acclaimed, with MIME News claiming that “the genius of the film lies in the fact that the story is told in a way that allows the viewer to fill in the silences.”

Moreover, Taxi Drivers Italy noted that “Pain emerges clearly and intensely due to the admirable management of the feelings that bind and divide the characters of the story.”

FOR MY COUNTRY – which was co-written by Ollivier Pourriol – stars a group of award-winning actors, including Lubna Azabal, Hugo Becker, Shaïn Boumedine, and Karim Leklou.

The film is a French-Taiwanese co-production, with mk2 Films managing international sales, Memento Distribution responsible for distribution within France, and MAD Solutions handling distribution in the Arab World.

Born in 1985, Hami is a French writer and actor who fled the Algerian civil war with his mother and brothers in search of a better future in France. He began his career as an actor with the film GAMES OF LOVE AND CHANCE by Abdellatif Kechiche.

Throughout his career, he has directed and written films, including three award-winning feature films.

Following his 2005 short film NO EFFECT WITHOUT CAUSE, he directed the medium-length film CHOOSING LOVE in 2007. Then, in 2017, he made his first feature film, ORCHESTRA CLASS (LA MÉLODIE), which premiered at the Venice International Film Festival.