Laila Abbas’ latest Palestinian film THANK YOU FOR BANKING WITH US! held a resounding world premiere at the BFI London Film Festival (October 9th to the 20th) on October 17th, selling out its first and second screenings and earning its cast and crew a much-deserved standing ovation.
 
In attendance at the premiere were director Laila Abbas, actors Yasmine Al Massri and Adam Khattar, as well as producers Roshanak Behesht Nedjad, Alaa Karkouti, and Maher Diab along with a host of media personalities, international celebrities, and industry bigwigs.
 
Notably, THANK YOU FOR BANKING WITH US! is the first Palestinian film to premiere and compete at BFI London. It is also the last film shot in the West Bank before the ongoing genocide.
 
Soon after BFI’s conclusion, THANK YOU FOR BANKING WITH US! will be heading to Egypt, where it will be holding its Arab World premiere at the El Gouna Film Festival before going to Greece for the Thessaloniki Film Festival a few days afterward.
 
In honor of the film’s premiere, MAD World — the film’s world sales agent — released the film’s posters on their social media pages for all to see.
 
THANK YOU FOR BANKING WITH US! explores the intricacies of sisterhood and family, while tackling 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.
 
Discussing the film's themes, director Laila Abbas said, “This story is about womanhood and the need for women to stay close emotionally and physically to triumph,” further adding “It’s a story about sisters who, having gone through their respective tragedies and heartbreaks, bond together to become stronger.”
 
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.
 
THANK YOU FOR BANKING WITH US! has received support thus far from the El Gouna Film Festival in 2018 through four $10,000 grants from ART, Cedars Productions, O Three Productions, and Metafora, respectively. Moreover, it won the In-Development Award from the CineGouna Platform and was supported by the Arab Fund for Arts and Culture as well as the Doha Film Institute’s 2023 edition of the Qumra Initiative.
 
With additional funding from German film funds (Mitteldeutsche Medienförderung, and the Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg), and the Hubert Bals Plus Europe of International Film Festival Rotterdam, THANK YOU FOR BANKING WITH US! stands as a testament to the power of collective artistic vision. Notably, it was also among the winners of the Red Sea Fund’s third cycle.
 
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.