| Barakah Meets Barakah | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Mahmoud Sabbagh |
| Written by | Mahmoud Sabbagh |
| Produced by | Mahmoud Sabbagh |
| Starring | Hisham Fageeh Fatima Al-Banawi |
| Cinematography | Victor Credi |
| Edited by | Sofia Subercaseaux |
| Music by | Zeid Hamdan Maii Waleed |
| Distributed by |
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Release date |
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Running time | 88 minutes |
| Country | Saudi Arabia |
| Language | Arabic |
Barakah Meets Barakah (Arabic: بركة يقابل بركة Hejazi pronunciation: [baraka jiˈgaːbɪl baraka]) is a 2016 Saudi Arabian drama-comedy film directed and written by Mahmoud Sabbagh, a remarkably candid Saudi Arabian love story which uses humor as a counterweight to the difficulties the couple face.[1] Principal photography of Barakah Meets Barakah began on 25 September 2015 and ended on 22 October, and was shot entirely in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The film was selected as the Saudi Arabian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 89th Academy Awards (the second time the country made a submission for the Oscars).[2]
The film premiered at the Forum section of the 66th Berlin International Film Festival making it the first Saudi feature film to premiere at the festival.[3] It won the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury at the Berlinale.[4] It was selected to represent the Berlinale during the Berlinale Spotlight program at the 14th Morelia International Film Festival in Mexico in October 2016.[5]
The film premiered in North America at the Elgin and Winter Garden Theatres on September 16 at the 41st annual Toronto International Film Festival, receiving a standing ovation. Cameron Bailey, the artistic director at TIFF, called it: a "freewheeling, engaging romantic romp [that] has real weight even though its humorous touch is as light as air".[6] It was later selected as the Saudi Arabian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 89th Academy Awards but it was not nominated.[7]
The film was also selected at the 38th Cairo International Film Festival becoming the first Saudi film ever to participate in the festival,[8] receiving a certificate of appreciation.[9]
The film was theatrically released in many countries, including Germany, Switzerland, Austria, UAE, Egypt and Tunisia. It was released in Germany through Arsenal in 20 cinemas across Germany on March 9, 2017.[10]
Netflix brought the international VoD distribution rights to the film. It premiered on all Netflix regions (except MENA) on October 12, 2017, making it the first Saudi film to display on the streaming service.[11]