Abu Shadi (Mohammad Bakri) is a divorced father and school teacher in his mid-60s who lives in Nazareth with his daughter. Now that she is about to be married, the aging patriarch is anticipating life on his own. In preparation for the wedding, his architect son, Shadi (Saleh Bakri), who lives in Rome, travels to Nazareth to help the family. As Shadi and his father spend a day together hand-delivering wedding invitations to each guest in keeping with local Palestinian custom, the tense details of their fragile relationship come to a head, while each faces the reality of their very different lives. Performed brilliantly by actual father and son Mohammad and Saleh Bakri, Wajib demonstrates Annemarie Jacir’s filmmaking mastery through its style and subtleties.
Screening with short film:
Bonbone
A Palestinian couple wants to conceive a child, but the husband is currently detained in an Israeli jail where visits are restricted. Rather than wait until his release, they resort to unusual methods. With heart and wit, Bonbone addresses a very real, and very dangerous, phenomenon through which prisoners and their families defy occupation and secure their legacy.
Director: Rakan Mayasi | Narrative | Runtime: 15 mins | 2017 | Country: Palestine, Lebanon | Language: Arabic, Hebrew, English subtitles | Minnesota Premiere
Press
"An intimate, well-played disquisition on what it means to be a Palestinian abroad versus a Palestinian at home." - Variety
Sponsors
TWIN CITIES ARAB FILM FESTIVAL
Mizna presents the thirteenth Twin Cities Arab Film Festival in partnership with the Film Society of Minneapolis St. Paul. The Arab Film Fest showcases modern Arab cinema, featuring debut screenings of independent narrative, documentary, and experimental features and shorts.
Browse TCAFF films