Saudi Film ‘Hajjan’ to Premiere at Toronto International Film Festival

The Saudi film "Hajjan" will have its world premiere in September at the Toronto International Film Festival, its director and Egyptian filmmaker Abu Bakr Shawky announced on Instagram.

He wrote: “Massive thanks to the cast and crew for their tireless work! It’s been a privilege to work with you.”

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Abu Bakr Shawky - أبوبكر شوقي (@abshawky)

“Hajjan” is a Saudi-set movie that tells the story of Matar, a boy who embarks on a journey across the desert with his camel, Hofira.

The film is a co-production between the King Abdulaziz Centre for World Culture in the Kingdom and Egyptian producer Mohamed Hefzy's Film Clinic.

Shawky said: “At its heart ‘Hajjan’ is an adventure that captures the deep connection between a young rider and his renegade camel.”

Matar and Hofira, he continued, are "an inseparable couple that form a bond based on survival and being on the run."

The Saudi actors Abdulmohsen Al-Nemer, Ibrahim Al-Hsawi, Alshaimaa Tayeb, Azzam El-Nemr, Omar Alatawi, and Tuleen Barbood appear in the film, which was written by Egyptian Omar Shama and Kingdom's Mufarrij Almajfel.