Sabah (2005)

One day, when Sabah least expects it, she falls in love with the wrong man. She's Muslim, he's not. Unbeknownst to her family, she goes on a whirlwind affair before both culture and love collide.

Director:

Ruba Nadda

Writer:

Ruba Nadda

Stars:

Arsinée Khanjian, Setta Keshishian, Roula Said

1 win & 2 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Arsinée Khanjian	...	Sabah
Setta Keshishian	...	Um Mouhammed
Roula Said	...	Shaheera
Fadia Nadda	...	Souhaire
Jeff Seymour	...	Majid
Kathryn Winslow	...	Amal
Shawn Doyle	...	Stephen Montpellier
Aaron Abrams	...	Paramedic
Mary Lou Fallis	...	Opera Singer
David Alpay	...	Mustafa
Kaylen Christensen	...	Girlfriend

Storyline

Sabah is 40, single, an immigrant from Syria living in Toronto with her family, responsible for her mother's well-being. Since her father's death, her brother Majid has been the family authority. His niece doesn't want him choosing her husband, his marriage is rocky, but he insists on tradition. Sabah meets Stephen at a city swimming pool; they're attracted to each other. Because he's not a Muslim, Sabah hides their friendship from her family. Where can this relationship go? Can this family sort out its tensions?

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Plot Keywords:

title directed by female | title written by female | love | muslim | canada | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Details

Official Sites:

TL Boulton Productions Ltd

Country:

Canada

Language:

English Arabic

Release Date:

27 May 2005 (Canada)

Also Known As:

Coldwater

Company Credits

Production Co:

T. L. Boulton

Technical Specs

Runtime:

86 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (Prague) where Ruba is also sitting as a juror for the Competitive films, Commonwealth Film Festival (Manchester), Durban Film Festival (South Africa), Seattle International Film Festival (US), Rio de Janeiro International Film Festival (Brazil), Talk Cinema (Toronto International Film Festival) and Warsaw International Film Festival (Poland).

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Connections

Referenced in Allemaal film: De amerikaanse droom (2007)

User Reviews

Great, must see movie! Excellent !

A very refreshing Canadian film, dealing with fundamental Canadian issues that have never been filmed. "Sabah" is such an admirable and excellent film. It's a funny, warm, and humane film that focuses on a family that happens to be Arab and Muslim. I hope that it doesn't get reduced to a copycat of "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" because this film deserves to stand on its own merits. It doesn't deserve to live in the shadow of such a shallow, callous, and crude film that just happened to hit it lucky. I hope that good marketing and word of mouth builds a healthy audience for this film. Whenever something is a made in Canada, people demean it because it lacks a Hollywood pedigree. Because Atom Egoyan is one of the executive producers, perhaps it will find an audience willing to approach Canadian film with an open mind and a big heart. You can tell that this is a carefully made film. Sabah is well wrapped in her tightly fastened hijab and plain overcoat, but then, as she removes the hair covering, one finds that provocative hair that drives Stephen crazy with love. Even the overcoat reveals this fiery fuchsia lining that shows life and passion. A later scene shows her weaving a light blue scarf, a blue knit top that compliments Stephen's blue sweater. The head scarf is not tightly knotted this time as hair protrudes from the hijab. Her acclimatization to Canadian culture and Stephen's warmth is inevitable.