Dubai-based distributor and producer Front Row Filmed Entertainment has partnered with Abajour Productions on “Batata Chips Aa Festouk” – or Peanuts – the feature directorial debut of acclaimed Lebanese actor and writer Fouad Yammine.
The film, which completed principal photography in Beirut this past October and is now in post-production, presents a darkly comedic and existential story. It follows a thirty-something nobody named Nouhad who, deciding to end his life, opts to turn his suicide into a cinematic spectacle. With nothing left to lose, he hires a struggling cameraman to document his “last night on Earth.”
This bucket-list-meets-breakdown premise sends Nouhad on an odyssey through Beirut’s sleepless streets. His farewell tour spirals into chaos, involving awkward confessions of love, botched hookups, run-ins with exes and crooked cops, and a philosophical encounter with a sex worker. By the night’s end, the filmed goodbye transforms into a laugh-out-loud yet painfully honest portrait of a man—and a city—desperately seeking meaning.
The project reunites Yammine with Front Row after their collaboration on the record-breaking Netflix hit Perfect Strangers.
“Fouad’s innovative approach is a breath of fresh air amidst dire times,” said Gianluca Chakra, CEO of Front Row Filmed Entertainment. “We’re betting on Fouad’s no-holds-barred imagination: one that only he can deliver with his signature blend of humor, tenderness, and poignancy.”
Yammine, who also stars in the film, echoed the sentiment, highlighting a shared vision for bold storytelling. “Peanuts taps into the raw truths of being human: fear, love, regret, and the longing to belong,” he said. “That shared vision is exactly why this collaboration feels so natural.”
Peanuts boasts a powerhouse ensemble of Arab talent, including Said Serhan (Al Hayba), Manal Issa (Netflix’s The Swimmers), Gabriel Yammine, Talal El Jurdy, Elie Mitri, Cynthia Karam, and Mounir Challita. Shot in a naturalistic, Dogme-inspired style, the film aims to capture the raw, nocturnal pulse of Beirut.
“Batata Chips Aa ”Festouk”—Peanuts marks Front Row’s latest investment in original Arabic-language content as the company continues to expand its regional production footprint. The film is co-produced by Roar-Park, Final Cut, and Audionese.
About Front Row Filmed Entertainment:
Front Row is a leading independent film distributor and producer in the Middle East and North Africa. The company produced the Arabic adaptation of Perfect Strangers, Netflix MENA’s first original feature, and the recent Netflix hit The Sand Castle. It has several other Arabic productions currently in post-production and development.
TunisianMonitorOnline (Douha Essaafi)
