Films in production or post-production
INSHALLAH A BOY
Synopsis
Nawal, a grieving mother, is shaken up by her husband’s sudden death and at risk of losing her home to her brother-in-law, Rifqi. According to the active inheritance law, if a woman does not have a son, the husband’s family gets a share of the inheritance. In Nawal’s case, the inheritance is her home, the only shelter for her and her daughter. Nawal tries to reason with Rifqi – she paid the mortgage herself – but Rifqi decides to take her to court. At court, Nawal, cornered and out of options, decides to fight and claims she is pregnant. This lie was supposed to save her from the ongoing threats, she becomes more desperate and faces a difficult choice: despite her religion and traditions, she has to find a man to get her pregnant with what hopefully will be a boy. Otherwise, she will lose everything, including her daughter. Three weeks are all she has to face society, culture, her fears, beliefs and humanity.
Kaname Onoyama
Muna Hawa, Mohammad Jizawi, Haitham Al Omari, Islam Awadi, Yumna Marwan, Salwa Nakarra, Cilina Rababa’a
The Imaginarium Films (Jordan)
Rula Nasser, Aseel Abu Ayyash
rula.nasser@gmail.com
aseel.abuayyash@gmail.com
Bayt Shawareb (Jordan)
Yousef Abdel Nabi
yousef@shawareb.com
Director’s statement
I chose to tell a story of oppression imposed by a patriarchal society, where unjust practices of tradition are the law, a story of survival, empowerment and hope - the story of Nawal. A drama realism film, where the dialogue and situations are captured from real-life events. I chose fluid handheld camerawork and long shots to create a life-like atmosphere. With editing and sound design, which will immerse the audience in Nawal’s head, I want to shape the film with a slow build-up of tension to help the audience feel Nawal’s pain and empathize with her. Such empathy could result from believing that what you are watching is real, alongside this inescapable feeling that you could be in a similar situation. I hope to evoke debates on how traditions, culture, and religion could be unjust, showing the lack of control many women experience over their fate and how easily their rights are transgressed.
Biographies
A Berlinale Talents alumnus with an MFA degree in Cinematic Arts. His short films were nominated and awarded at Arab and international film festivals, including the selective Film Prize of the Robert Bosch Stiftung for his last short film, The Parrot. In 2016, he was selected by Screen International as one of five Arab Stars of Tomorrow, showcasing the region’s up-and-coming young talents. His debut feature film in post-production, Inshallah a Boy, was selected and won a prize at at Final Cut in Venice.
Rula Nasser is an Independent Jordanian producer with an accumulated experience in different aspects of the production of Commercials, TV series, and low-budget films all the way to big-budget studio films. Rula Nasser founded The Imaginarium Films, which produced films that got selected for prestigious film festivals such as Cannes, Venice, Berlinale, and TIFF. Her company focuses on discovering local talents and developing appealing international stories embedded in the Arab world.
€1 058 532
€852 497
Jordan Film Fund Production, Jordan Film Fund Post-production, Cairo Film Connection, Red Sea Lodge, Doha Film Institute, MG MENA Distribution MAD & Lagoonie, Final Cut Venice 2022
March 2022, Jordan
January 2023
Early post-production
Gap financing, sales agents, festivals, equities
