The Idol

Screenings

2016 Season
London

Oscar-nominated filmmaker Hany Abu-Assad directs this inspiring biopic about Mohammad Assaf, a singer from Gaza, who in 2013 won the TV talent show “Arab Idol,” entertaining and inspiring millions. Abu-Assad watched Assaf's ascent through the final stages of the contest, and the enthralling experience inspired him to imagine the childhood origins of this phenomenal story of hope, inspiration, and success.

Filmmaker(s): 
Hany Abu-Assad
Year: 
2015
100m
Language(s): 
Arabic
Genre: 
Drama
Filmmaker Bio(s): 
Hany Abu-Assad
Director

Hany Abu-Assad is one of the world's most distinctive filmmakers. The two-time Academy Award nominated director - Paradise Now (2006) and Omar (2013) - has won countless other awards including the Berlinale Blue Angel, Best Foreign Language Film at the Golden Globes, and the Special Jury Prize in Cannes' Un Certain Regard.

Distributor: 
Studio Canal UK

“This fictional story tells the real story of the closure of Gaza and the effect that violations of the right to freedom of movement have on people, especially young people… It's really a story about Gaza, as much as it's a story about Muhammed Assaf.” - Sari Bashi, Israel/Palestine director, Middle East and North Africa Division

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