Amr Gamal's Yemeni film “The Burdened” (Al Murhaqoon) is set to hold its world premiere at the 2023 Berlin International Film Festival's Panorama Section on February 20th at 4 pm at Kino International in the presence of the film's director, producer, and cast.
The film is also set to have a screening for media accreditation on Saturday, February 18th at 6:30 pm at Cubix 2, along with four more screenings for the public during the festival, which is running from February 16th to the 26th:
- Tuesday, February 21st at 10 pm at Cubix 7
- Wednesday, February 22nd at 4 pm at Cubix 5
- Thursday, February 23rd at 6:30 pm at Cubix 9
- Sunday, February 26th at 4 pm at Cubix 5
“The Burdened” is based on a true story set in Aden, Yemen. The film follows Ahmed, Isra'a, and their three children after they both lose their jobs as a result of an economic crisis. The film is directed by Amr Gamal, who shares screenwriting credits with Mazen Refaat.The film stars Khaled Hamdan, Abeer Mohammed, Samah Alamrani, and Awsam Abdulrahman.
It also brings together Yemen, Sudan, and Saudi Arabia in a landmark co-production that was first brought to international attention at the 2022 Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, where it earned the Works in Progress Post-Production Development Award in the festival's industry sidebar, Eastern Promises. MAD Solutions is managing the film's distribution in the Arab world, while Films Boutique is managing international sales.
“The Burdened” is co-produced by Mohsen Alkhalifi, Mohammed Alomda, and Amjad Abu Alala (Station Films) — the filmmaker who helmed the award-winning drama YOU WILL DIE AT TWENTY,which was submitted to the Academy Awards' Best International Feature Film Category in 2020 as Sudan's first-ever Oscars' submission.
Amr Gamal (b.1983, Poland) is an independent Yemeni film and theater director. In 2003, he received the President's Award for Playwriting. In 2005, Gamal established the Khaleej Aden Theater Troupe and has written and directed all of the troupe's theater productions since 2005. His play MA'K NAZEL became the first Yemeni play to be performed in Europe (Berlin) after its big success in Yemen.
