DUBAI: Saudi actress Fatima Al-Banawi’s film “Basma” is set to screen in Brazil on Thursday.
Al-Banawi shared the announcement on Instagram, posting the official poster, which revealed that the film will screen in Sao Paulo at Estudio Lamina, a local cultural center.
Instagram/@fatimaalbanawi
“Basma,” which premiered on Netflix in June, marks Al-Banawi’s debut as a feature film director. She also wrote the screenplay, contributed an original song to the soundtrack, and stars in the lead role.
The film follows a young Saudi woman who returns to her hometown of Jeddah after two years studying in the US, only to discover that her parents have divorced without telling her.
The story explores her emotional reckoning with the past, including her father’s mental illness and the impact it had on the family. The role of her father, Dr. Adly, is played by Yasir Al-Sasi.
As she reconnects with her family, Basma is distraught to learn that her beloved father has moved out — and worse, that most of the family are, at best, reluctant to visit him. Convinced that all he needs is the love and care of his loved ones, she decides to move in with him, defying the advice of her mother, Hind (Shaima), brother Waleed (Tared Sindi), and uncle Hamza (Mohammed Essam). But the reunion is far from smooth.
“The most important element was to create a believable, cohesive family. That was one of the main issues,” Al-Banawi previously told Arab News. “The second thing was that — although I recognize that a lot of amazing actors and actresses have (emerged in Saudi Arabia) in the past couple of years — as a director, I wanted to see fresh faces. It’s beautiful to see these talents who weren’t given a chance before, or didn’t even see themselves taking this path. Honestly, this whole cast was a blessing.”
Al-Banawi first gained prominence for her role in the 2016 drama “Barakah Meets Barakah.” She also starred in the Egyptian Netflix series “Paranormal.”
In 2020, she directed her first short film, “Until We See Light.” That same year, she co-wrote, co-directed and starred in “Al-Shak,” a Shahid Original series, which she shot fully from home during the pandemic.
