Latest news with #ThankYouForBankingWithUs
Broadcast Pro
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Broadcast Pro
Palestinian film ‘Thank You for Banking With Us!' to premiere in Spain
The film is a joint German-Palestinian production that delves into themes of female empowerment and familial struggle. Palestinian filmmaker Laila Abbas's first feature film, Thank You For Banking With Us, is set to have its Spanish premiere at Cinemes Babel. The drama explores themes of female empowerment through the story of sisters Mariam and Noura, who, after their father's death, devise a plan to secure a large sum of money he left behind. Their scheme aims to outmanoeuvre their brother, who is legally entitled to half of the inheritance. Laila Abbas described the film as a narrative about the strength of womanhood and the importance of emotional and physical unity among women. 'It's a story about sisters who, having endured their own tragedies and heartbreaks, come together to become stronger,' she said. Thank You for Banking With Us! is a joint German-Palestinian production, written, directed and produced by Abbas through her Ramallah-based company Young Oak Productions. Co-produced by Hanna Atallah of Palestine Cinema Days and Roshanak Behesht Nedjad of Berlin's In Good Company Films, the film is being handled for worldwide sales and distribution by MAD World. MAD Solutions and Lagoonie Film Production, the Cairo and Riyadh-based production entity, have also teamed up to co-produce Thank You for Banking With Us! Thank You for Banking With Us! has received support thus far from the El Gouna Film Festival in 2018 through four $10,000 grants from ART, Cedars Productions, O Three Productions and Metafora respectively. Moreover, it won the In-Development Award from the CineGouna Platform and was supported by the Arab Fund for Arts and Culture as well as the Doha Film Institute's 2023 edition of the Qumra Initiative. With additional funding from German film funds (Mitteldeutsche Medienförderung, and the Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg), and the Hubert Bals Plus Europe of International Film Festival Rotterdam, Thank You for Banking With Us! stands as a testament to the power of collective artistic vision. Notably, it was also among the winners of the Red Sea Fund's third cycle.
Broadcast Pro
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Broadcast Pro
‘Thank You For Banking With Us' wins top prize at Critics Awards
The film, directed by Laila Abbas, is an incisive portrayal of two sisters navigating the complexities of patriarchal laws and the broader political tensions of the Israeli occupation of Palestine. Laila Abbas's debut feature, Thank You For Banking With Us, has taken top honours at the ninth Critics Awards for Arab Films, winning Best Film. The Palestinian production, which had its world premiere at the BFI London Film Festival, also earned Abbas the Best Director award. Written, directed and produced by Abbas through her Ramallah-based company Young Oak Productions, the film is a joint German-Palestinian production that delves into themes of female empowerment and familial struggle. It follows the story of sisters Mariam and Noura, who, after the death of their father, hatch a plan to claim a large inheritance, determined to bypass their brother's legal claim to half of the estate. Laila Abbas describes the film as a tribute to the strength of womanhood and the power of solidarity among women. 'It's a story about sisters who, having endured their own tragedies and heartbreaks, come together to become stronger,' she said. Moroccan director Nabil Ayouch's Everybody Loves Touda also made a strong showing, taking home two awards. The film premiered in the Cannes Premiere section last year and continues to gain critical recognition across the festival circuit. Actor Adam Bessa was awarded Best Actor for his performance in Ghost Trail, a French-Tunisian film that further underscores the diversity and talent emerging from the Arab film world. The Critics Awards for Arab Films honour the most outstanding achievements in Arab cinema over the past year. Winners are chosen by a global panel of 281 film critics, reflecting a broad and international perspective on the region's cinematic output. The awards are organised by the Arab Cinema Center in partnership with MAD Solutions, the International Emerging Film Talent Association, and the NEFT Emerging Film Talent International Competition, all of which work to promote and celebrate Arab storytelling on a global stage.
