After making history by becoming the first-ever short film in history to open an Arab film festival at the 6th edition of El Gouna Film Festival, multi-award-winning director Amr Salama’s "60 Pounds" will screen at the 24th edition of the Rotterdam Arab Film Festival (RAFF), slated to run from May 30 to June 2 in the Netherlands.
The short is set to compete at the festival’s Arab Shorts I Program on Saturday, June 1 at 12 pm.
"60 Pounds" recently made its world premiere as part of the International Competition of the Fribourg International Film Festival in Switzerland.
The pic — which is the first collaboration between Salama and up-and-coming Egyptian rapper Ziad Zaza in his debut acting role — follows aspiring rapper Ziad and his family, who have long suffered at the hands of his abusive father. However, when tensions reach a boiling point, Ziad takes it upon himself to end his family’s suffering once and for all.
It is produced by Omar Gawdat and Omar El Safi of Beatroot Records and Cinerama Films, lensed by Ahmed Tarek Bayoumi, and edited by Ahmed Hafez.
In addition to Ziad Zaza, the cast also includes Tarek El-Deweri, Hamza Diab, and Rawheya Salem.
MAD Solutions’ newly established international sales agent MAD World handles the film’s worldwide sales and MAD Distribution handles the distribution in MENA.
"60 Pounds" received generally favorable reviews after its El Gouna premiere for its bold subject matter, impeccable performances, beautiful cinematography, and masterful editing
One of the most recognized trap artists in the current scene, Ziad Zaza has rapidly established himself in Egypt's rap scene thanks to his unique approach to drill music. Since the release of his debut album "El Rays", the musician has developed a cult-like following thanks to his unconventional delivery and aggressive singing style.
Salama is an Egyptian filmmaker and screenwriter born in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
He began his career by primarily directing short movies and commercials before releasing his first feature film, "On a Day Like Today" in 2008.
He then worked on 2011's "Asmaa", tackling a subject that is highly controversial in the Arab world: HIV infection, which earned him international attention when it premiered at the Abu Dhabi International Film Festival and earned him the Best Arab Director before winning another two awards at the Fribourg International Film Festival.
After that, Salama co-directed the documentary "Tahrir 2011: The Good, the Bad, and the Politician", which scored UNESCO’s CICT-IFTC Award at the 68th Venice International Film Festival and numerous other international awards.
Since then, Salama has worked on several Egyptian blockbusters, including "Excuse My French", "Sheikh Jackson", "Made In Egypt", "Tayea", Netflix's "Paranormal", Shahid’s "Bimbo", and "Barra El Manhag".
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