Mohammed Assaf, an aspiring musician living in Gaza, sets a seemingly impossible goal: to compete on the program "Arab Idol."
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Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Tawfeek Barhom | ... | Mohammed Assaf | |
 |
Kais Attalah | ... | Mohammed Assaf (younger) (as Qais Attallah) |
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Hiba Attalah | ... | Nour (as Hiba Attahllah) |
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Ahmad Qasem | ... | Young Ahmad (as Ahmad Qassim) |
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Abdel Kareem Barakeh | ... | Young Omar (as Abdalkarim Abubaraka) |
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Teya Hussein | ... | Young Amal |
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Dima Awawdeh | ... | Amal |
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Ahmed Al Rokh | ... | Omar (as Ahmad Rokh) |
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Saber Shreim | ... | Ahmad |
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Amer Hlehel | ... | Kamal |
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Manal Awad | ... | Mohammed's Mother |
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Walid Abed Elsalam | ... | Mohammed's Father (as Waleed Abd Elsalem) |
| Eyad Hourani | ... | Ali Kushk | |
| Ashraf Barhom | ... | Hehler - The Smuggler | |
| Nadine Labaki | ... | Shadia | |
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Storyline
Since his early years in his native Gaza, Mohammed Assaf has had a golden voice. Accompanied by his sister Nour and two of his friends, he sings in courtyards first and later at weddings while Kamal helps him to develop the full range of his vocal capacities. Nour unfortunately dies of kidney failure and Mohammed grows up in sorrow and bitterness, all the more as war strikes his hometown. In 2012, he is a student and drives a taxi to finance his studies. He wants to start singing again but he can envisage singing as a career only in leaving Gaza. His only hope is to participate in the famous "Arab Idol" contest. But how to leave the place without a visa? Written by Guy Bellinger
Plot Keywords:
ends with text | ends with real life footage | what happened to epilogue | gaza | aspiring musician |Parents Guide:
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Details
Release Date:
2 June 2016 (Netherlands) See more »Also Known As:
Idol See more »Company Credits
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Technical Specs
Runtime:
Color:
ColorAspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1
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Composed by Karim Azedia
Published by Pennybank Tunes/ KPM Music Ltd.
Licensed by EMI Production Music
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Did You Know?
Trivia
The true story (with a few fictionalized elements) of Mohammed Assaf, a singer from Gaza, who was the winner of the second season of "Arab Idol". See more »Soundtracks
Tunisian NightsComposed by Karim Azedia
Published by Pennybank Tunes/ KPM Music Ltd.
Licensed by EMI Production Music
See more »
This is the basically true story of Palestinian Mohammad Assaf, who won "Arab Idol" in 2013 and is now a goodwill ambassador for the UN. Those who know of his success will love to re-live it. But for perhaps the majority of westerners this is an inspiring, universal story of love conquering fear. The first 90 minutes are set in Gaza, where Assaf was raised. He showed talent early on. We assume that his sick sister will recover. But we're wrong. We're led to believe that Mohammad was inspired to succeed. The story of Mohammad's struggle to enter "Arab Idol" seems incredible. But he really did get a forged visa to Egypt, where the 2013 finals were held, and he really did break into the hotel to audition because he didn't have a ticket. The rest is history. The genuine footage of Mohammad's success being celebrated by thousands of people in streets throughout the Arab world is astonishing. Few will be able to suppress a tear as Mohammad states that he entered the contest because he wanted Palestine's voice to be heard. After success in Toronto, the film played the London Film Festival, where director Hany Abu-Assad revealed that he was mostly unable to shoot in Gaza, ostensibly because he was born in Israel. But the principal children during that first 90 minutes are Palestinian and it seems they were allowed to be taken elsewhere for the shoot, possibly Jordan. Mohammed Assaf was also present at the screening and claimed to be very proud of the way in which he was represented. This record of a talent contest inspiring goodwill between nations that continues to this day puts the nonsense that sustains the likes of "The X Factor" into a very real perspective.