Inshallah a Boy
This is a film about women's lack of rights when the husband dies. According to Jordan's inheritance law, the husband's family has as much claim to the assets as the widow – including their shared home. Unless they have a son.
In Inshallah a Boy, we enter an apartment in Amman where Nawal lives with her husband and their daughter. Life takes a sudden turn when the husband dies, and Nawal becomes a widow overnight. The death of her husband forces her to mobilize everything she has to keep her home, and she lies about being pregnant in the fight against her brother-in-law, who threatens to take away her home, daughter, and pride.
In a society where Nawal and her daughter are nothing without a man and where patriarchal structures shine through everything from comments on the bus to court hearings, Nawal's hope is kept alive by the possibility that a baby boy can secure their home, a hope with an unmistakable expiration date.
«Inshallah a Boy makes the ordinary into compelling drama.»
– Aparita Bhandari, Paste Magazine –
Gunhild Sølvberg
Panel: Struggle for Gender Equality in the Middle East
After the screening of INSHALLAH A BOY on Friday, April 12, at 17.30, there will be a conversation about the «Struggle for Gender Equality in the Middle East.» The event is in collaboration with Tankesmien Agenda.
Read more about the event here.
Meet actor Mouna Hawa
The lead actor in INSHALLAH A BOY, Mouna Hawa, will be present at the following screenings:
- Intro before the film – Friday, April 12, at 17.30
- Q&A after the film – Saturday, April 13, at 14.45
- Q&A after the film – Sunday, April 14, at 17.00
Director
Jordanian Amjad Al Rasheed is from Amman, the city where Inshallah a Boy takes place. The director and writer has an MFA in Cinematic Arts and was selected as one of five «Arab Stars of Tomorrow» in 2016. He has contributed to several short films. Inshallah a Boy is Rasheed’s feature debut. The film has been screened at over 20 film festivals and has received several awards.
This film is part of
Original title انشالله ولد (Inshallah walad)
Country Jordan, Saudi Arabia, France, Qatar
Year 2023
Director Amjad Al Rasheed
Screenplay Delphine Agut, Rula Nasser, Amjad Al Rasheed
Cinematography Kanamé Onoyama
Producer Yousef Abed Alnabi, Aseel Abu Ayyash, Rula Nasser
Cast Mouna Hawa, Hitham Omari, Yumna Marwan, Salwa Nakkara, Mohammed Al Jizawi, Eslam Al-Awadi
Production Company The Imaginarium, Bayt Al Shawareb, Georges Films
Distribution Storytelling
Runtime 1h 53m
Language Arabic
Subtitles Norwegian
Genre Drama
Format DCP
Age limit 9
Links IMDb
This film is in competition for the Audience Award.