Amr Salama’s 60 EGYPTIAN POUNDS to hold its international premiere at Fribourg International Film Festival

After taking the sixth El Gouna Film Festival by storm, becoming the first-ever short film in history to open an Arab film festival — Amr Salama’s 60 EGYPTIAN POUNDS will be holding its anticipated international premiere as part of the International Competition of the Fribourg International Film Festival, which is set to take place in the Swiss city from March 15th to the 25th.

The short film — the first collaboration between multi-award-winning director Amr Salama and up-and-coming Egyptian rapper Ziad Zaza in his debut acting role — is set to hold several screenings as part of the competition’s Shorts Program 1 at Arena 9. You can catch 60 EGYPTIAN POUNDS at the following showtimes:

• Saturday, March 16th, at 1 pm
• Sunday, March 17th, at 4:30 pm
• Thursday, March 21st, at 4 pm
• Friday, March 22nd, at 7 pm

60 EGYPTIAN POUNDS follows aspiring rapper Ziad and his family, who have long suffered at the hands of his abusive father. However, when tensions reach a boiling point, Ziad takes it upon himself to end his family’s suffering once and for all.

The short was produced by Omar Gawdat and Omar El Safi of Beatroot Records and Cinerama Films, respectively, lensed by Ahmed Tarek Bayoumi, edited by Ahmed Hafez, and stars trap artist ZIAD ZAZA, as well as Tarek El-Deweri, Hamza Diab, and Rawheya Salem.

The film received generally favorable reviews after its El Gouna premiere for its bold subject matter, impeccable performances, beautiful cinematography, and masterful editing, with Farida Salem of What Woman Want Magazine hailing it as a “thrilling film [that] advocates for all victims of violence and rebukes abusive parents,” and describing it as “raw, liberating, and moving.”

One of the most prominent trap artists in the current scene, ZIAD ZAZA has rapidly established himself in Egypt’s rap scene thanks to his unique approach to drill music. Since the release of his debut album EL RAYS, the musician has developed a cult-like following thanks to his unconventional delivery and aggressive singing style.

ZAZA has always done his best to convey the ideas of the new generation through his lyrics and songs as well as discuss the issues relevant to his age group. He has several successful songs to his name that have become incredibly popular, including KARRETA SARREFA, ZAZA, BASHA, LEH TEDAYE’, and DAYRA, which was top trending on YouTube when it was released.

Meanwhile, Amr Salama is an Egyptian filmmaker and screenwriter born in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

He began his career by primarily directing short movies and commercials before releasing his first feature film, ON A DAY LIKE TODAY, in 2008.

He then worked on the AIDS-themed drama ASMAA, which earned him international attention when it premiered at the Abu Dhabi International Film Festival, where it won Best Arab Director before winning another two awards at the Fribourg International Film Festival.

After that, Salama co-directed the documentary TAHRIR 2011: THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE POLITICIAN, which scored UNESCO’s CICT-IFTC Award at the 68th Venice International Film Festival and numerous other international awards.

One of Salama’s biggest films, and definitely one that created the most buzz was the film EXCUSE MY FRENCH — which was based on, by his admission, his experiences at a public middle school in Egypt after his return from Saudi Arabia — which was released in 2014 to great acclaim by audiences and critics alike.

Following that successful project, his 2017 film SHEIKH JACKSON world premiered at the 42nd Toronto International Film Festival, where it received excellent reviews before opening the first edition of the El Gouna Film Festival and going on to become Egypt’s official submission for Best Foreign Language Film at the Academy Awards that year. It has since received several awards at several regional and international film festivals.

Since then, Salama has worked on several other provocative and revolutionary hits that went on to become smashing successes, including MADE IN EGYPT, TAYEA, the first Egyptian Netflix original series PARANORMAL, Shahid’s original series BIMBO and more recently; BARA EL MANHAG.

Amr Salama’s films have participated in dozens of national and international festivals and won many awards, most notably the Toronto, Cairo, El Gouna, Carthage, Munich, Washington, Abu Dhabi, Freiburg, London, Zurich, and Palm Springs film festivals.