This September will see the 48th edition of the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) to come life.
TIFF is one of the largest, publicly attended celebrations of cinema around the world. Running for ten days from Thursday September 7 to Sunday September 17, the film festival will celebrate all types of cinema, including premiering international creations, and this year several Saudi Arabian films are set to premiere.
The full showing schedule will be published on August 15, and tickets can be purchased online.
Hajjan
Director: Abu Bakr Shawky
Screenwriter: Mufarrij Almajfel
Renowned screenwriter, the Kingdom's Mufarrij Almajfel, alongside Egyptian-Austrian director Abu Bakr Shawky brings an audacious and mythical coming-of-age escapade to life. This film immerses us in the legendary realm of high-stakes Bedouin camel racing.
Mandoob
Director: Ali Kalthami
Mandoob is a Middle-Eastern dark comedy, and will premiere at the TIFF Bell Lightbox in September. In Kalthami's debut feature film, we follow the journey of an exhausted delivery app driver in the Kingdom's capital, Riyadh, who ventures into the underground realm of bootlegging. Set against the backdrop of Saudi Arabia's seldom-explored, ultra-modern nightlife scene, this film offers a unique glimpse into a world rarely seen on screen.
Naga
Director: Meshal Aljaser
Premiering at TIFF, Meshal Aljaser presents a hair-raising thriller. The story unfolds as a young woman finds herself stranded in the vast Arabian desert. Fueled by a sense of urgency and the impending spectre of severe consequences from her overbearing and authoritarian father, she embarks on a race against time to reach home before the curfew strikes.
Toronto International Film Festival, from September 7 - September 17
Tickets from $25CAD, pre-sale tickets available from August 18
Tiff.net
