“Seeking Haven for Mr. Rambo” From Brussels to Carthage

A new journey for “Seeking Haven for Mr. Rambo” has started on Friday, November 29, in the Belgian capital, Brussels.

 

 

The film takes part in the official competition of the 24th Cinemamed Mediterranean Film Festival in Belgium. It will be screened twice; today and tomorrow, Saturday, November 30th, and will compete with 7 other films from different countries.

 

 

The film will be in tough competition with 8 other films in the 11th Duhok International Film Festival in Iraq, scheduled to take place between (9-16) December, as it is to participate in the official competition of the festival.

 

 

Subsequently, it will move to Tunisia and compete with 15 films in the official competition for feature films, within the proceedings of the 35th Carthage Film Days, scheduled to take place between (14-21) December.

 

Carthage Festival will be the last cinematic platform for the film before its release in Egypt and Arab countries cinemas. Basically, the end of the year has been set as the final date for the release of "Seeking Haven for Mr. Rambo" in cinemas.

 

Rakin Saad has received the Future Generation Award, which was launched this year, as part of Cairo Industry Days (CID) of the 45th Cairo International Film Festival, for her role in “Seeking Haven for Mr. Rambo”, which was held between (15-20) November.

 

 

These awards aim at supporting CIFF and discovering young filmmakers in collaboration with the Film Verdict. Last August, it took part in the Orizzonti Extra section, within the proceedings of the 81st Venice International Film Festival, which was held from August 28th to September 7th.

 

 

It is a section through which films that highlight the latest trends in international cinema for young talents are presented.

 

 

As for the official screenings of the film, the festival was the first stop, following a journey that lasted for over 8 years between preparation and filming. Moreover, it marks the return of Egyptian cinema to Venice's official lineup after a 12-year absence, since the participation of Ibrahim El Batout's "Winter of Discontent" in the Orizzonti program in 2012. 

 

The film is director Khaled Mansour's first feature-length narrative after directing a number of short films that were screened in several international and regional festivals. It is written by screenwriter Mohamed El-Hosseiny, starring rising actor Essam Omar, as his first cinematic experience, Rakin Saad, Sama Ibrahim, co-founder of the musical group Sharmoofers, Ahmed Bahaa, as his first acting experience, Sama Ibrahim, and other young talents and guest stars.

 

 

 

Furthermore, it is a dramatic film that tells the story of "Hassan", a young man in his thirties who rediscovers himself on a quest to save his dog and best friend "Rambo". He is forced to confront the fears of his past. Hence, "Hassan" seeks to save himself and "Rambo" from an unknown fate after getting involved in a serious incident without guilt. Overnight, his neighbour, Karem, as well as the residents of the neighbourhood, start chasing him.

 

 

 

The film is produced by Mohamed Hefzy from Film Clinic and by producer Rasha Hosny, who is making her debut in feature film production. Hosny has also had a successful career in film criticism and programming at several major international film festivals. The film will be distributed worldwide by Film Clinic Indie Distribution.

 

The film received the Visual Identity and DCP Services Award for a post-production project, presented by Creative Media Solutions at the 5th Amman Film Industry Days (AFID) and Amman Project Market. It also received a number of production grants including the Red Sea Film Fund, Arab Fund for Arts and Culture (AFAC) grant for a feature film, and Fonds Image de la Francophoni grant.

 

The film's script received a number of development grants, including a feature film development grant from the Arab Fund for Arts and Culture (AFAC), and two development grants from CineGouna Platform.  

 

Furthermore, the film's script took part in a number of development labs and financing fourms, including: (La Fabrique Cinéma programme), supervised by the French Institute and is held as part of Cannes International Film Festival market, Beirut Cinema Platform, film development and production workshop, organized by the Royal Film Commission of Jordan, (Dot on the Map) program, as part of the Cyprus Film Days Festival, and Seen Studio Development Program in Egypt. Additionally, the film's script participated in a number of film financing markets, such as: Malmö Film Market in Sweden and Durban Film Mart in South Africa.