‘Farha’, shot in Beirut, has now officially entered for Oscars 2023, featuring in the international feature film category. It is Jordan’s official submission for international feature film at the 95th Academy Awards. It holds awards of ‘Best Feature Film” by the audiences in The Lebanese Independent Film category, the best Arabic film & best Art Direction at the Alexandria Mediterranean Film Festival .
Directed by Hassiba Freiha and Kenton Oxley, it first premiered at the Beirut International Women Film Festival and was showcased at the 11th edition of the San Diego Arab Film Festival (SDAFF). Being shot in mixed languages of Arabic and English it was also selected For the 10th anniversary OF The Chelsea Film Festival 2022 In USA.
“ FARHA is 119 minutes, Lebanese drama, in which the scenes flowed smoothly and spontaneously and the characters were showing their traits through a bright picture and a clear sound”.- Mohamed Hegazy
The movie is a psychological thriller emphasizing on mental issues, culture and family dynamics of Beirut – Lebanon. Starring Stephanie Atala, Majdi Machmouchi, Nader Abd Alhay, it is a female centric movie. It revolves around Lebanese girl Lina, a pre- med student studying in the US, suffering from persistent nightmares and psychological breakdowns and gets used to antidepressants .
Despite the medications, her nightmares continue, linking them to her biological mother, which leads her on a quest to know the truth and reveal the secrets of her family.
Written by Hassiba Freiha who also directed it along with Kenton Oxley, the film is shot by Elias Trad and edited by Marcus D’Arcy.
MAD Solutions is in charge of the film’s distribution across the Arab world.
Freiha says the script was drawn from her own experience and took many twists and turns as she attempted to address them.
“For me, the film is really about a family coming to terms with a belief system that isn’t what they grew up with, or what they had been told by society, or that they were taught,” she says. “When this happens, I feel that it could shake up somebody’s world, you know? A belief system is like a foundation that you have depended on your whole life, and if that foundation starts to crumble, you will crumble.”- Hassiba Freiha
“The ‘revolution’ here is one of the most colourful peaceful revolutions on the face of the planet. It’s got life and vibrancy and that’s what we’re trying to get across [about Lebanon],” – Kenton Oxley
