Film screening: Theeb
Theeb, one of my favourite films from Abu Dhabi Film Festival 2014 and in my list of favourite films of 2014 will get its theatrical release across the Arab world on Thursday, 19th March.
My thoughts after watching it in Abu Dhabi last November,
An impressive first film for its director Naji Abu Nowar and for the non-actors featured in it. About Bedouin pride, hospitality, brotherhood and growing up too quickly.
Poignant and strong visual story telling set in the Jordanian desrt in the early 1900s. This one will definitely become a classic and one that rightfully belongs in the list of top Arab films.
If this is coming to a cinema near you, please go and watch it.
Arabia, 1916. Theeb [Wolf] lives with his Bedouin tribe in a forgotten corner of the Ottoman Empire. Having recently lost his father, it falls to Theeb's brother, Hussein, to raise him. Hussein tries to teach Theeb the Bedouin way of life, but the young boy is more interested in mischief than mentorship.
Their lives are interrupted with the arrival of a British Army Officer and his Guide on a mysterious mission. Unable to refuse help to his guests for fear of dishonouring his late father’s reputation, Hussein agrees to escort the pair to their destination, a water-well on the old pilgrimage route to Mecca.
Fearful of losing his brother, Theeb chases after Hussein and embarks on a treacherous journey across the Arabian Desert. Since the outbreak of the First World War, this harsh terrain has become the hunting ground of Ottoman mercenaries, Arab revolutionaries and outcast Bedouin raiders. If Theeb is to survive he must quickly learn about adulthood, trust and betrayal. He must live up to the name his father gave him.
Theeb will screened across the Arab world starting on Thursday, 19th March 2015.