Firas Khoury
Feature Narrative
Palestine, Qatar, UAE, France, Tunisia
104’ | 2022
Arabic with English Subtitles
Tamer is a 17-year-old Palestinian high school student whose identity is riddled with contradictions. Like his pals, Shekel and Rida, he is a carefree middle-class young man who obeys his parents and avoids politics. One day, his world turns upside down when a confident, spunky, and politically active new student named Maysaa’ enters his life. As he approaches her, he progressively transforms under her influence, becoming more interested in politics and daring to examine his own life with a critical eye. To earn a place in her heart, he goes to great lengths and joins his friends in a risky operation. Will he change once and for all or revert to his former self?
Cast: Mahmood Bakri, Sereen Khass, Saleh Bakri, Mohammad Karaki, Ahmed Zaghmouri, Muhammad Abed Elrahman
Director of Photography: Frida Marzouk
Music: Faraj Suleiman
Editor: Nadia Ben Rachid
Production Companies: MPM Film, Paprika Films, Philistine Films
Co-production: Lacydon Bay Productions, Metafora Productions, and Red Sea Film Festival Foundation
Producers: Marie Pierre Macia, Claire Gadéa, Naomie Lagadec, Melik Kochbati, Ossama Bawardi
Distribution in the Arab World: MAD Solutions, Lagoonie Film Production
Firas Khoury is a Palestinian scriptwriter and director who holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in cinema. Khoury’s filmography includes several short films, including the award-winning Seven Days in Deir Bulus (2007) and Yellow Mums (2010). These films were shown at festivals around the world and on TV channels. In 2019, he directed Maradona’s Legs, a short film that received the Robert Bosch Stiftung Film Prize as well as the Medienboard Berlin Brandenburg support. The film was screened at the Palm Springs International Film Festival. He also taught cinematic expression at the Freedom Theatre's School of Cinema in Jenin Refugee Camp, the University of Nazareth, Al Mashghal Arab Center for Arts & Culture in Haifa, and in Tunisia. Khoury is a co-founder of Group Falastinema, which organizes film workshops and screenings across Palestine.