Fayed developed the film’s plot following the death of his best friend.
Lebanese film Yusif, by Kazim Fayed, will commercially release on November 3 in Lebanon in several cinemas, including Grand Cinema ABC Verdun, Grand ABC Achrafieh, Grand Cinemas ABC Dbayeh, Vox Cinema Lebanon and Cinemall.
Ahead of the release, the film will premiere on November 1 at Grand Cinemas ABC Verdun.
The film was screened at the Asian World Film Festival (AWFF) in the USA, where it won the Special Jury Award, and the Alexandria Film Festival for Mediterranean Countries in Egypt, where it garnered the Best First Feature Award. It also joined the International Oriental Film Festival of Geneva (FIFOG) in Switzerland and the Dhaka International Film Festival in Bangladesh.
The film follows Yusif, who aims to defy death itself. Ironically, a crime needs to take place to be able to save the life of his younger brother. This psychological thriller, surfing between two realities, delves deep into the dark underworld of arms dealing in Lebanon.
Yusif is directed by Kazim Fayad, who also co-wrote the script with Houssein Haidar and Ali Mansour. The film stars Houssein Haidar, Eyad Nouredine, Khitam Leham, and Fayez Kazack. It is produced by Blue House Films, while MAD Solutions manages the Arab world distribution.
Kazim Fayad is a Beirut-born Lebanese filmmaker, writer, and producer. He co-wrote Yusif with Houssein after graduating from the school of communication arts and filmmaking and working on several short fiction films. In addition to Yusif, Kazim worked on almost 12 short films.
He developed the film’s plot following the death of his best friend. The loss of Kazim’s friend caused him to suffer from “DCR,” a condition in which a person’s dreams become so vivid that it is impossible to distinguish between reality and dreams.
