Jerusalem Drama 'Conversation With the Sea' Heads to Doha Film Festival
Muayad Alayan's Jerusalem-set drama Conversation With the Sea will have its Middle East launch at the Doha Film Festival, which runs from 19 to 27 November. Variety reported the launch in an interview with the director.
The festival is organised by the Doha Film Institute. Variety has also reported that the film is in the Doha competition lineup, which puts a particular emphasis on female filmmakers and Middle East titles. Doha is a stop on a longer festival run. The film has already played at Venice and Toronto.
The story follows Kamal, a widowed baker in Jerusalem's Old City, played by Kamel El Basha. An Israeli court orders him to pay a large social security debt linked to a son who died long ago. Alayan, who is based in Jerusalem, has said the idea came from a real letter. His father-in-law and wife received an injunction from the Israeli social security service. It demanded money allegedly owed by a brother-in-law who drowned more than 20 years ago.
El Basha is best known to festival audiences for winning the best actor prize at Venice in 2017 for The Insult. He leads a cast that includes Amer Hlehel, Ruba Blal, Haitham Omari, Bahira Ablassi, Maria Zreik and Rebecca Esmeralda Telhami.
The film's Arabic title is Hiwar Ma' Albahr. It was programmed in the Venice Spotlight section, and it is Alayan's fourth feature. The production credits are PalCine Productions, run by Alayan and Rami Alayan, and KeyFilm.
For a film that began life as a family letter, the Doha slot is a useful next step. Festival screenings like this one often decide which films reach wider audiences in the months after their premieres.
