In parallel with the world premiere of “Abdo & Saneya” as part of the Arab Masterpieces section at the fourth Red Sea International Film Festival, held between (5-14) December, the official trailer has been released.
In two minutes or less, the trailer highlights the story of the Egyptian farmers Abdo and Saneya who abandoned their simple village and headed to New York City with no English proficiency and without being familiar with the American way of life. Additionally, they were illiterate. However, they defied the odds to find a cure for their infertility.
Due to their naivety, they were perfect prey in this fast-moving city. Their desire to survive takes them from homelessness to restaurant and kitchen businesses. “Abdo & Saneya” is the first contemporary silent film in the region. It is a multicultural and black-and-white film. Besides, it is a silent opera with a full middle eastern/western musical score that highlights certain brutal realities of a voiceless immigrant minority that forms an invisible layer of American society. Furthermore, it is a visual poem on an old traditional world slowly giving way to technological advancement and globalization.
It stars Omar Bakry, Inji El-Gammal, who took part in “Ramy” series, Roger Hendricks Simon, Marlene Villafane, Ahmed Khaled, Haitham Nour, Catherine Macleod, and Guy LeMonnier. Additionally, it is written and directed by Omar Bakry. Vicente Roxas is the director of photography. It is edited by Salah Anwar and Omar Bakry, artistically supervised by Nihal Farouk and Mohamed Mikha, and produced by Jaselle Martino. Moreover, the costume design is by Yanilsa Rafferty and Nermin Said and soundtrack is by Alexandre Azaria.
The film is produced by Film Clinic (Mohamed Hefzy), Chaconia Pictures (Jaselle Martino), and Timewormz (Inji El-Gammal). It is distributed by Film Clinic Indie Distribution in the Middle East and North Africa. The Arab Masterpieces section, through which the film will be screened, is held within the proceedings of the Red Sea International Film Festival. It aims at shedding light on the most prominent modern cinematic works from across the Arab world, which tackle diverse societal issues from Arab countries by iconic and promising directors and Arab cinema pioneers.
TunisianMonitorOnline (TMO correspondent Douha Saafi)
