The film features burgeoning young Jordanian actor Mohamed Nizar, who is represented by MAD Rising Celebrity.
Following its successful screening on January 24th at Germany’s Filmfestival Max Ophüls Preis, Faris Alrjoob’s German-Jordanian short film, The Red Sea Makes Me Wanna Cry, has embarked on a European tour, captivating audiences at two additional festivals across the continent.
As the first-ever Jordanian short selected for Cannes, the film had two more screenings at Max Ophüls Preis, one on January 27 and another on the 28. Its journey continues with a feature at Italy’s Florence Short Film Festival on January 27, followed by a highly anticipated screening at Ireland’s Dublin International Film Festival (DIFF) on February 28 at 1:30 pm, as part of the DIFF’s Shorts Programme 2.
The film had previously earned recognition by winning the Silver Star for Short Films at the El Gouna Film Festival. It has also graced prestigious film festivals worldwide, including the International Cinematographers’ Film Festival (Manaki Brothers) in Macedonia, the Festival du Nouveau Cinéma in Canada, and the Deutscher Kurzfilmpreis, where it was nominated for the Lola for Best German Short Film.
The Red Sea Makes Me Wanna Cry is a romantic thriller that unfolds the story of Ida, a haunted character who embarks on a journey to the liminal site of her partner’s disappearance, seeking to feel his presence one last time and bid farewell.
In an insightful interview with director Faris Alrjoob published on Directors Notes, Berlin-based Film Critic Redmond Bacon described the film as “a tale filled with shimmering mysteries, utilizing elliptical storytelling, enigmatic voiceover, and a strong command of camera movement and tone to suggest multiple hidden meanings lingering in the background.”
The film stars Mohamed Nizar, Clara Schwinning, and Emmy-nominated American-Palestinian-Kuwaiti journalist-actor Ahmed Shihab Eldin, alongside Anwar Khalil. Produced by the renowned German film school Film-und Medienstiftung NRW, the short film is directed, written, and co-produced by Faris Alrjoob, co-written by Matthew LaPaglia, co-produced by Luisa Stricker and Luma Al Hamarneh, lensed by Mahmoud Belakhel, edited by Benedikt Strick, and distributed worldwide by MAD Solutions.
Faris Alrjoob, an interdisciplinary artist working within the fields of film, video art, and performance, is based in Berlin and is a graduate student at the Academy of Media Arts in Cologne, having previously studied at Emerson College in Boston.
