About the Film
Amira follows the titular character, a 17-year-old daughter of a Palestinian militant, Nuwar, who believes she was conceived with the smuggled sperm of her imprisoned father. As a result, their relationship has been restricted to her short prison visits with her mother, Warda, where she shows him their photoshopped family photos, her only way to forge a ‘normal’ life and unlived memories with both her parents.
On the other hand, for Nuwar, who got married via camcorder and continues to spend his life as a husband and father in a prison cell, the opportunity to smuggle another sperm out of prison is his gate for freedom; “everytime a part of me escapes this prison, it feels like a part of me is free.”
Yet when the bomb drops that the family can’t have another child because Nuwar is sterile, their world collapses and the strong bond they shared is torn apart with accusations, denial, and suspicions from the daughter and the husband’s family towards the resilient, quiet mother. Being her father’s daughter, and like a true patriot, Amira is determined to embark on a quest to search for her true roots, unaware that the revelation may shatter her identity to pieces.
In his 3rd award-winning feature, Egyptian filmmaker Mohamed Diab chooses to shed the spotlight on one of the biggest human struggles of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict; the search for identity!
Authentically capturing the Palestinian society in the West Bank, Diab explores deep social divisions and xenophobia with the aim to deliver an idea that transcends beyond this everlasting rivalry, raising the question...is hatred caused by nature or nurture? Amira stars a brilliant cast led by Ali Sulieman (Nuwar), Saba Mubarak (Warda) and upcoming rising Tara Abboud (Amira). The film received a standing ovation and three awards at the 2021 Venice International Film Festival, where Diab was highly praised for, “having built a complex story on the meaning of family and blood ties, in a context that is strongly characterized by xenophobic dynamics and deep divisions.”
Rania Badr
