Idol, The

Details
Genre:
Drama
Run Times:
100 min
Language:
Arabic (w. English Subtitles)
Cast:
Qais Atallah, Hiba Atallah, Ahmed Qassim, Abdelkarim Abu Baraka, Tawfeek Barhom, Ashraf Barhoum, Ali Suliman, Nadine Labaki
Director:
Hany Abu-Assad
Writer:
Hany Abu-Assad, Sameh Zoabi
Plot Summary

A young boy in Gaza, Mohammad, dreams of singing in the Cairo Opera House and for the world to hear his voice. Somehow he manages to escape out of the prison that is Gaza and make it to the Cairo auditions of Arab Idol, the most popular talent show in the region. As he gets to the latter stages of the competition, he must confront his own fears to take control of his destiny and bring hope and happiness to an entire region. Mohammad, and the audience, will go on the journey of a lifetime.

An inspirational drama inspired by the incredibly true story of Mohammad Assaf, winner of ARAB IDOL™ 2013

Festivals and Awards

Toronto International Film Festival, Canada, September 2015

Busan International Film Festival, South Korea, October 2015

BFI London Film Festival, UK, October 2015

Warsaw Film Festival, Poland, October 2015
*Winner – Ecumenical Jury Award

Mumbai International Film Festival, India, October 2015

Kolkata International Film Festival, India, November 2015

Dublin Arabic Film Festival, Ireland, November 2015

Brisbane Asia Pacific Film Festival, Australia, November 2015

Palestine Film Festival, Australia, November 2015

Torino Film Festival, Italy, November 2015

International Film Festival of India, November 2015

International Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival, Turkey, November 2015

Ajyal Youth Film Festival, Qatar, November 2015

Dubai International Film Festival, UAE, December 2015

Dubai International Film Festival, UAE, December 2015
*Winner – People’s Choice Award

Glasgow Youth Film Festival, UK, February 2016

Stockfish Film Festival, Iceland, February 2016

Miami International Film Festival, USA, March 2016

Kosmorama Trondheim International Film Festival, Norway, March 2016

Human Rights Watch Film Festival, UK, March 2016

BUFF International Film Festival, Sweden, March 2016

Hong Kong International Film Festival, Hong Kong, March 2016

Leeds Young Film Festival, UK, March 2016

Vilnius Film Festival, Lithuania, March 2016

Middle East Now Festival, Italy, April 2016
*Winner – Audience Award

Curacao International Film Festival, Curacao, April 2016

Solidarity Festival, Israel, April 2016

WASHINGTON, DC INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL, USA, April 2016
*Winner – Audience Award

Houston Palestine Film Festival, USA, May 2016

Festival Cine-Palestine, France, May 2016

Arab Film Festival, South Korea, May 2016

Zlin Film Festival, Czech Republic, May 2016
*Winner – Miloš Macourek Award for Best Young Actor in Feature Film for Youth, Hiba Atallah

Festival d’Annaba du Film Méditerranéen, October 2016
*Winner – Best Screenplay

Unesco Award, Asia Pacific Screen Awards 2015