The films will be shown at the Culture and Arts Society in Al-Ahsa.
Saudi Arabia’s Cinema Club will showcase two films—The Burdened by Yemeni director Amr Gamal and Samia by Somali filmmaker Yasemin Şamdereli—at the Culture and Arts Society in Al-Ahsa. The Burdened is set to screen on March 6 and 7, while Samia will be shown on March 7 and 9.
Directed and co-written by Amr Gamal alongside Mazen Refaat, lensed by Mrinal Desai, edited by Heba Othman and co-produced by Amjad Abu Alala, The Burdened features Khaled Hamdan, Abeer Mohammed, Samah Alamrani and Awsam Abdulrahman.
The film is produced by Mohsen Alkhalifi and Amr Gamal at Adenium Productions, with co-production support from Amjad Abu Alala, Mohammed Alomda at Station Films and the Red Sea International Film Festival.
It also brings together Yemen, Sudan and Saudi Arabia in a landmark co-production that was first brought to international attention at the 2022 Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, where it earned the Works in Progress Post-Production Development Award in the festival’s industry sidebar, Eastern Promises.
MAD Solutions is managing the film’s distribution in the Arab world, while Films Boutique is managing its international sales.
The narrative of The Burdened, based on true events in Aden circa 2019, unfolds the challenges faced by a married couple and their three children after both lose their jobs due to the economic crisis gripping the country. The story takes a poignant turn when the mother discovers she is expecting a fourth child, prompting the family to grapple with conservative societal norms as they attempt to secure an abortion, ultimately making tough decisions for survival.
Meanwhile, Samia, directed by Yasemin Şamdereli and based on the true story of Somali athlete Samia Yusuf Omar, chronicles her journey to become an Olympic runner amidst adversity. The film promises to be a poignant portrayal of resilience and the pursuit of freedom.
The screenplay is co-written by Nesrin Şamderel and Giuseppe Catozzella, with a production team led by Simone Catania, Dietmar Güntsche, Anja Karina Richter, Francesca Portalupi, Michele Fornasero, Martin Rohé, Joseph Rouschop, David Herdies, Riccardo Russo and Christoph Fisser. The film features performances by Ilham Mohamed Osman, Fathia Mohamed Absie, Fatah Ghedi, Elmi Rashid Elmi, Waris Dirie, Riyan Roble and Zakaria Mohamed.
