The film is based on true events that took place in Aden around 2019.
Amr Gamal’s Yemeni film The Burdened (Al Murhaqoon) will get a Spanish premiere at the Valencia International Film Festival Cinema Jova, which will run until July 1, 2023.
The film will screen on June 24 at 20:00 and June 20 at 11:30 at La Filmoteca.
The Burdened is based on a true story set in Aden, Yemen. The film follows Ahmed, Isra’a, and their three children after they both lose their jobs as a result of an economic crisis.
After the mother discovers she is carrying a fourth child, the beleaguered parents try to get an abortion despite their community’s conservative stance, forcing the family to make tough decisions to survive.
The film is directed by Amr Gamal, who shares screenwriting credits with Mazen Refaat. The film stars Khaled Hamdan, Abeer Mohammed, Samah Alamrani, and Awsam Abdulrahman.
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 handling international sales.
The Burdened is co-produced by Mohsen Alkhalifi, Mohammed Alomda, and Amjad Abu Alala.
It was the first ever Yemeni film to be officially selected at the Berlin International Film Festival.
The film won the Works in Progress Post-Production Development Award in the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival’s industry section Eastern Promises.
