The latest film by Palestinian director Muayad Alayan, “Conversation With the Sea,” will screen at the Venice and Toronto international film festivals, as MAD World, the international sales arm of the independent Arab studio MAD Solutions, has acquired its worldwide distribution rights.
The film will have its world premiere in the “Spotlight” section of the 83rd Venice International Film Festival, running from 2 to 12 September, before heading to North America to screen in the “Centerpiece” section of the 51st Toronto International Film Festival, scheduled for 10 to 20 September.
A search that begins with a court order
Set in Jerusalem, “Conversation With the Sea” follows Kamal, a 60-year-old Palestinian man, after an Israeli court orders him to repay a large social security debt allegedly owed by his son, Wael. Although Wael is believed to have drowned in the Red Sea decades ago, the absence of any official record of his death prompts his father to investigate the circumstances of his disappearance.
Muayad Alayan wrote and directed the film, with Rami Alayan co-writing the screenplay, while Kamel El Basha plays the lead role. The cast also includes Amer Hlehel, Ruba Blal, Haytham El Omari, Bahira Ablassi, Maria Zreik, Rebecca Esmeralda Talhami and Ible Marie.
Kamel El Basha previously won the Volpi Cup for Best Actor at the 74th Venice International Film Festival in 2017 for his performance in “The Insult.” He later appeared in works including the Disney UK production “Culprits,” as well as “Hamza,” “Curfew,” “Our Males and Females” and “An Orange From Jaffa.”
International production and institutional support
The film is an international co-production between Palestine, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. It is produced by PalCine Productions, led by Muayad and Rami Alayan, in partnership with KeyFilm, the Red Sea Fund and Metafora Production.
Lorenzo Casadio Vannucci is the director of photography, Matteo Fachinelli is the editor and Fabian van Eyck composed the music. The project also received financial support from the Hubert Bals Fund, the Netherlands Film Fund, the Doha Film Institute and Al Ma’mal Foundation for Contemporary Art.
Alayan and MAD’s fourth collaboration
MAD World’s acquisition of the film’s worldwide distribution rights marks the fourth collaboration between Muayad Alayan and MAD, following “Love, Theft, and Other Entanglements,” “The Reports on Sarah & Saleem” and “A House in Jerusalem.”
Alayan’s first feature, “Love, Theft and Other Entanglements,” previously screened in the “Panorama” section of the Berlin International Film Festival in 2015. “The Reports on Sarah & Saleem” also won the Special Jury Award in the Hivos Tiger Competition in Rotterdam and the Hubert Bals Audience Award, along with other prizes at the Seattle and Durban international film festivals, before being distributed in more than 50 territories.
His third feature, “A House in Jerusalem,” premiered at the International Film Festival Rotterdam and was nominated for the UNESCO Gandhi Medal and the Asia Pacific Screen Awards, before Netflix acquired it for distribution in the Middle East and North Africa region.
