DIRTY DIFFICULT DANGEROUS hits Saudi Arabian theaters after success in Lebanon and Jordan
Wissam Charaf’s DIRTY DIFFICULT DANGEROUS continues its epic journey across Arab cinemas, celebrating six amazing months in Lebanese theaters and victorious screenings at Jordan’s Rainbow Theatre.
Through a strategic partnership between Hayy Cinema in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and MAD Solutions, the award-winning film is set to continue its commercial screenings in the Arab world. Audiences can catch this gripping tale from Friday, April 19th, until Sunday, April 28th, 2024, by purchasing tickets through this link.
DIRTY DIFFICULT DANGEROUS world premiered at the Venice International Film Festival, where it won the Label Europa Cinemas’ Best Film Award, carving director Wissam Charaf’s name in history as the first Arab director to win such a prize.
It then went on to screen at several prestigious film festivals, winning numerous awards, including the MOZAIK Bridging the Borders Award at the Palm Springs International Film Festival, the Critic Choice Award’s Special Mention at the Filmfest Hamburg, and the Audience Award in the Feature Film Category at the Entrevues Film Festival.
DIRTY DIFFICULT DANGEROUS received wide critical acclaim locally and internationally, with Fabien Lemercier from Cineuropa describing it as “a movie which mirrors the merciless reality of everyday life for migrants in Lebanon (where many, including the poorest among them, try their best to enslave others), DIRTY DIFFICULT DANGEROUS makes a point of not dramatizing situations which are already incredibly painful.”
Meanwhile, Allan Hunter of Screen Daily praised the film, saying “Charaf peppers the film with political barbs and a commentary on the plight of the refugees.”
The film follows Ahmed, a Syrian refugee roaming the streets of Beirut searching for metal objects to be recycled who thought he’d find love with Mehdia, an Ethiopian domestic. But in this city, such a story seems almost impossible. Will this couple be able to find the way to freedom given that Ahmed suffers from a mysterious illness that slowly turns his body into metal?
Directed by Wissam Charaf, who co-wrote it with Hala Dabaji and Mariette Désert, the film stars Clara Couture, Ziad Jallad, Rifaat Tarabay and Darina Al Joundi. It is produced by Aurora Films, Né à Beyrouth Films, and Intramovies. MAD Solutions manages the film’s distribution in the Arab world, while Intramovies manages the international sales.
Wissam Charaf is a Lebanese French director, cameraman, and editor. In 1998, he began to work with the French/German network ARTE as a news cameraman, editor, and journalist. He has since covered major conflict areas ranging from Lebanon to Darfur, Afghanistan, and North Korea. He worked on programs like ARTE Info, ARTE Reportages, Metropolis, and Tracks.
He also worked as an assistant director with Danielle Arbid and on music videos with French director Henri-Jean Debon for artists such as Noir Desir, Sinead O’Connor, and the Asian Dub Foundation.
He directed six short fiction films: HIZZ YA WIZZ, A HERO NEVER DIES, AN ARMY OF ANTS, AFTER (awarded in Pantin, Brive), UNFORGETTABLE MEMORY OF A FRIEND (awarded in Pantin, Clermont-Ferrand, Rhode Island, and pre-selected for Best Short Film in the Cesar 2020) and DON’T PANIC (Clermont-Ferrand), as well as IT’S ALL IN LEBANON, a documentary awarded in the Carthage Festival.
Also, his first feature film, HEAVEN SENT, was selected at the ACID section of the 2016 Cannes Festival, and most recently, he released his latest short IF THE SUN DROWNED INTO AN OCEAN OF CLOUDS, which world premiered at the Orizzonti Section of the Venice International Film Festival.
