Maha Haj’s UPSHOT showered with praise and laurels ahead of its Arab World premiere

After successfully premiering worldwide at the 77th Locarno Film Festival, where it won the Golden Pardino Award, Maha Haj’s poignant Palestinian short UPSHOT will now have its Arab World premiere at the seventh edition of the El Gouna Film Festival (GFF) — running from October 24th to November 1st — where it will be competing in the Official Short Film Competition.

Enjoying a slew of accolades from critics, the film has already made quite an impression head of its screening at the GFF, recieving praised across the board from domestic and international outlets alike.

Cairo360’s Salsabil Yasser applauded the film, noting that it is “a powerful reminder of how unresolved grief can linger and torment long after a loved one’s death, painting a haunting picture of Gaza’s plight. The film is proof of human resilience. The characters of Suleiman and Lubna epitomize the human spirit, demonstrating that even in a world defined by suffering, human imagination and willpower can persevere.”

Writing for Asharq Al-Awsat, Mohammed Reda also remarked that the performances of Mohammed Bakri and Areen Omri are “like a harmonious musical duo.”

Meanwhile, Ivo Silvestro of laRegione expressed his admiration for the film’s presentation, stating that it is “loaded with symbols,” and Critic Joseph Fahim of Middle East Eye said that the film “can be seen, in part, as an effort to confront the humiliating behavior of the Israeli occupier; it is an attempt to remind the world of the anxiety that each family in Gaza lives with, invisibly and silently.” concluding by calling it “the best Arab short film of the year — beautiful, moving, and ultimately heartbreaking.”

Set against the backdrop of Gaza’s enduring strife, UPSHOT tells the story of Suleiman and Lubna, a couple who retreat to a mist-shrouded, isolated farm in an attempt to cope with unspeakable loss. Through the alchemy of storytelling, they concoct a parallel reality free of pain; but when a journalist intrudes upon their sanctuary, wielding the blunt force of truth, the fragile illusion they’ve constructed threatens to unravel.

A Palestinian-French-Italian co-production, the short stars renowned Palestinian actors Mohammed Bakri, Areen Omari, and Amer Hlehel. It is produced by Hanna Atallah and Ronza Kamel, together with their Ramallah-based company August Films. They have previously worked on the film THANK YOU FOR BANKING WITH US — which, along with UPSHOT, is being distributed worldwide by MAD World and in all Arabic-speaking territories by MAD Distribution.

Maha Haj is a filmmaker with a diverse background in English and Arabic literature who made her directorial debut with the short film ORANGES followed by the poignant documentary BEHIND THESE WALLS.

Her first foray into feature filmmaking, however, came in 2015 with PERSONAL AFFAIRS — a critically acclaimed work that was selected for the 69th Cannes’ Un Certain Regard. Her last feature, MEDITERRANEAN FEVER, won the Best Screenplay Prize in the 75th Cannes Film Festival’s Un Certain Regard and was selected to represent Palestine in the 94th Academy Awards’ Best International Feature race.