The film “Into an Unknown World” by Palestinian director Mahdi Fleifel is preparing to embark on a cinematic tour across several Middle Eastern countries, including Lebanon, Palestine, the UAE, Tunisia, Morocco, and Jordan, following a successful run at international festivals.

The film is scheduled to begin screening at Cinema Zawya in Cairo on Wednesday, July 17, marking its first commercial release in Egypt, nearly a year after its world premiere competing in the “Directors’ Fortnight – Quinzaine” section at the 77th Cannes International Film Festival 2024.

International Awards

Since then, the film has participated in over 100 international film festivals, winning more than 20 awards and being showcased in over 40 screenings worldwide.

The regional screening tour will start in Lebanon, where the film was recently presented at the closing of the South Screens festival, then continue to the UAE, Tunisia, Morocco, and Palestine, before concluding in Jordan.

Film Synopsis

“Into an Unknown World” tells the story of Shatila and Reda, two young men living under harsh conditions in Athens, who are saving money to buy forged passports to escape the city. However, when Reda loses all their savings due to his drug addiction, Shatila devises a bold plan to pretend they are smugglers and take hostages in a desperate attempt to escape the bleak reality surrounding them.

Cast

The film stars Mahmoud Bakri, Aram Sabah, Mohammad Al-Sarrafa, Moataz Al-Shaltoh, Mundhir Rayahneh, and Mohammad Ghassan. It is a European co-production reflecting cross-border collaboration to support humanitarian causes through cinema.