Ammon News - AMMAN (Jordan Times) — The Jordanian-Palestinian film “When I Saw You” is scheduled to arrive in local theatres June 13, according to a statement released on Wednesday.
The ATICO Fakhreldin Group said in the statement that it will be supporting the film’s screening in cinemas across Amman.
The award-winning feature, directed by acclaimed Palestinian filmmaker Annemarie Jacir, was shot entirely in Jordan with a local cast and crew.
It stars Irbid’s Mahmoud Asfa in his first acting role as 11-year-old Tarek, who escapes the 1967 Arab-Israeli war with his mother, Ghayda, to refuge in Jordan.
“Placed in temporary refugee camps made up of tents and prefab houses until they would be able to return, they wait, like the generation before them who arrived in 1948,” the statement said.
“With difficulties adjusting to life in Harir camp and a longing to be reunited with his father, Tarek searches for a way out, and discovers a new hope emerging with the times.”
“Eventually his free spirit and curious nature lead him to a group of people on a journey that will change their lives,” the statement said.
Produced by Ossama Bawardi, the 96-minute feature won Best Arab Film in Abu Dhabi and the NETPAC Award for Best Asian Film at the Berlin International Film Festival.
Jacir is a screenwriter and filmmaker living in Jordan. She has written, directed and produced over 14 films.
Her short film “Like Twenty Impossibles” (2003) was the first Arab short film to be an official selection of the Cannes Film Festival. Five years later, she returned with the acclaimed feature “Salt of this Sea”.
Written by Jacir, “When I Saw You” also stars Ruba Blal, Saleh Bakri, Ali Elayan and Ahmad Srour. It was produced Philistine Films.