Palestinian drama ‘Pomegranates and Myrrh’ opens in UAE at Eid

Najwa Najjar on the set of Pomegranates and Myrrh

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Having made its world premiere at the fifth Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) as the opening film of the Arabian Nights gala, Palestinian director Najwa Najjar’s critically acclaimed film Pomegranates and Myrrh has now arrived for an exclusive theatrical run in the UAE.  

Pomegranates and Myrrh, which has won international awards and critical acclaim, will begin its run from the first day of Eid at The Picturehouse in Reel Cinemas, The Dubai Mall. Distributed by Founoon Film Distribution, the film will then be screened until September 14 at The Picturehouse, with five screenings daily. From September 15 to 28, the film will screen in Abu Dhabi, at Vox Cinemas, Marina Mall. 

Part romance, part drama and part political comment, the film has won rave reviews at the Sundance, Rotterdam, Edinburgh, Durban, Locarno, Berlin, Cannes and other global festivals in addition to being screened at select venues in the United States. 

Najwa Najjar, Director of Pomegranates and Myrrh, said: “It's amazing that so many people got to see my film, and it still makes my heart jump to think about it. After all the difficulties and dramas, the great response really is the icing on the cake. But it was Dubai that helped give it that boost." 

Masoud Amralla Al Ali, Artistic Director of the Dubai International Film Festival, said that supporting the theatrical run of Pomegranates and Myrrh reaffirms the festival’s commitment to taking the best of Arab cinema to a wider audience.  

Set in Ramallah this decade, Pomegranates and Myrrh narrates the story of a dancer whose husband is imprisoned after defending her from an attack by a settler. In his absence and faced with the threat of land confiscation, she seeks to regain her lifelong love of dance – and in so doing so, meets a Palestinian returnee and choreographer. The film stars veterans of Arab cinema Hiam Abbas, Yassmine Al Massri, Ali Suleiman and Ashraf Farah. 

Pomegranates and Myrrh won the award for the ‘Screenplay Development Fund’ at the Amiens International Film Festival; four awards at the Festival de San Sebastian Cinema in Motion (2008); ‘Best Arab Film’ Audience Awards at the Doha Tribeca Film Festival (2009); the ‘Grand Prix’ at the Amal Arab European Film Festival (2009); ‘Best Actress’ and ‘Best Cinematographer’ at the Muscat International Film Festival (2010); and the Youssef Chahine ‘Grand Prix de Cinema’ and ‘Special Mention for Best Actress’ at the Festival International de Cinéma d’Auteur de Rabat (2010). 

DIFF is held in association with Dubai Studio City. Dubai Duty Free, Dubai International Financial Centre, Dubai Pearl, Emirates Airline and Madinat Jumeirah, the home of the Dubai International Film Festival, are the principal sponsors of DIFF. The Festival is supported by the Dubai Culture & Arts Authority.