A New Day in Old Sana'a
Encyclopedia
A New Day in Old Sana'a is a 2005
romantic drama film directed by Bader Ben Hirsi
, a British
playwright and director of Yemen
i ancestry, and produced by Ahmed Abdali. It was shot in San‘a’, the capital of Yemen, and was the first Yemeni film to be shown at the Cannes Film Festival
. The running time of the film was 86 minutes, and versions were released in English language
and Arabic (with English subtitles).
In addition to Cannes, the film was screened at the Cairo International Film Festival
; after its showing in Cairo
, Hirsi received a prize of 100,000 pounds
from the Egypt
ian Ministry of Culture.
. Tariq (a friend of Federico) is scheduled to marry Bilquis, the daughter of a rich judge. However, while out in the city one night, he catches sight of a woman he believes to be Bilquis, and falls in love with her. The woman turns out to be a nagsh (a black plant applied like henna
) artist named Ines, and Tariq ends up having to choose between the two. The film ends with a shot of a djinni, played by Hirsi himself.
2005 in film
- Highest-grossing films :Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top-grossing films that were first released in the United States in 2005...
romantic drama film directed by Bader Ben Hirsi
Bader Ben Hirsi
Al-Bader BenYahya al-Hirsi, commonly known as Bader Ben Hirsi, is a British playwright and director of Yemeni ancestry.-Early life and education:...
, a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
playwright and director of Yemen
Yemen
The Republic of Yemen , commonly known as Yemen , is a country located in the Middle East, occupying the southwestern to southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north, the Red Sea to the west, and Oman to the east....
i ancestry, and produced by Ahmed Abdali. It was shot in San‘a’, the capital of Yemen, and was the first Yemeni film to be shown at the Cannes Film Festival
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes International Film Festival , is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films of all genres including documentaries from around the world. Founded in 1946, it is among the world's most prestigious and publicized film festivals...
. The running time of the film was 86 minutes, and versions were released in English language
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
and Arabic (with English subtitles).
In addition to Cannes, the film was screened at the Cairo International Film Festival
Cairo International Film Festival
The Cairo International Film Festival is an annual film festival held in Cairo, Egypt. It was established in 1976 and was the first international film festival held in the Arab world...
; after its showing in Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
, Hirsi received a prize of 100,000 pounds
Egyptian pound
The Egyptian Pound is the currency of Egypt. It is divided into 100 Qirsh , or 1,000 Milliemes ....
from the Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
ian Ministry of Culture.
Plot summary
The film is shown through the eyes of Federico, a photographer from ItalyItaly
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. Tariq (a friend of Federico) is scheduled to marry Bilquis, the daughter of a rich judge. However, while out in the city one night, he catches sight of a woman he believes to be Bilquis, and falls in love with her. The woman turns out to be a nagsh (a black plant applied like henna
Henna
Henna is a flowering plant used since antiquity to dye skin, hair, fingernails, leather and wool. The name is also used for dye preparations derived from the plant, and for the art of temporary tattooing based on those dyes...
) artist named Ines, and Tariq ends up having to choose between the two. The film ends with a shot of a djinni, played by Hirsi himself.
Cast
- Sahar Alasbahi as Amal
- Dania Hammoud as Ines
- Redha Khoder as Bilquis
- Paolo Romano as Federico
- Nabil Saber as Tariq
- Bader Ben Hirsi as a dhinni