site.bta17th Sofia MENAR Film Festival to Be Held Jan. 17-30

The 17th edition of Sofia MENAR Film Festival will open on January 17 with Inshallah a Boy, a film from Jordan, said the organizers Pozor on Friday.

They stated that the film is a winner of two awards at the Cannes Film Festival and the strongest Middle Eastern debut in recent years, with multiple prizes from festivals in Thessaloniki, Rotterdam, Malmo, Jeddah and many more. It stars Mouna Hawa, who won the Arab Critics Guild Award for Best Arab Actress for the role. The film tells the difficult story of a widow who has to rebel against the rigid tradition which states that the deceased husband's property is inherited by his relatives if there is no boy among his children.

Sofia MENAR will also feature the premiere of the Moroccan film Backstage, starring Saleh Bakri, one of the most prominent stars of the Middle East. The film was awarded at the Venice Film Festival. Another film from Morocco, Chettah, will also premiere at the festival, as well as the newest film of Algerian Merzak Allouache, Front Row.

The festival will show the film Sugar and Stars, which traces the life of one of the leading confectioners in France, Yazid Ichemrahen, as well as four screenings of Iranian classic films.

Sofia MENAR will continue until January 30, with over 40 film premieres to be available for viewing during the festival.