Festivals & Awards

Doha-Tribeca Film Festival 2010 – Official Selection
New Films New Directors 2011 – Official Selection
Winner of the Golden Antigone at Montpellier film festival, France
Winner of The Audience Award at Mons International Film Festival, Belgium
Official selection at the 2011 New Directors/New Films, the Film Society of Lincoln Center and Museum of Modern Art NY
Official selection Karlovy Vary International Film Festival
Winner of the jury special mention at the 22nd Milan African, Asian and Latin America film festival
Market special screening at Cannes International Film Festival
Winner of Dubai Film Connection
Recipient of Duke Grant Sundance Institute
Recipient of Post Production Grant of the Doha Film Institute.
Official Competition selection at Tribeca Doha Film Festival
Official Competition selection at Jerusalem International Film Festival
Chicago International Film Festival
Palm Springs International Film Festival

 

Man without a Cell Phone
2011

Jawdat just wants to find love, and go to the university. But in a Palestinian-Israeli village, where traditional values dominate, his chances of doing so looks increasingly slim.

Social Comedy, 90 min
35 mm
Languages Arabic
Subtitles English

World Sales- http://www.memento-films.com

Cast

Jawdat - Razi Shawahdeh
Salem - Bassem Loulou
Mohammad - Loai Noufi
Rana - Naela Zarqawi
Fadwa - Sanaa Shawahdeh
Suha - Maysa abed elhadi
Sami - Ayman Nahhas
Abu Khaled - Amer Hlehel
Nader - Marwan Oka
Hassan - Tareq Qubti

Credits

Directed by - Sameh Zoabi
Produced by - Amir Harel, Ayelet Kait, Marie Gutmann
Co-produced by - Jacques-Henri Bronckart
Written by - Sameh Zoabi & David Rice

In participation with Lama Films, Meroe Films, Versus Productions, The Rabinovich Foundation for the Arts – Cinema Project, Gesher Multicultural Fund, Fonds Sud, GAN Foundation, Memento France

World Sales-  Memento Films www.memento-films.com

Director of Photography - Hichame Alaouie
Editor - Simon Jacquet
Original Music - Krishna Levy
Art Director - Nael Kanj
Costumes Designer - Hamada Attalah
Casting - Juna Suleiman

Story

A humorous, sharp take on the social milieu of a Palestinian village inside Israel. Jawdat, a restless young concrete worker, just wants to have fun with his friends, talk on his cell phone and find love - a near impossible task in a place where politics and traditional values dominate. Adding to Jawdat's problems is his curmudgeonly father, Salem, who establishes the film's irreverent tone with his opening pronouncement of his people's dilemma: "Co-existence, my ass!" Dragging Jawdat and the entire village into his outrageous battle against an Israeli cell phone tower that he fears is poisoning them with radiation, the father's hysterical behavior stands in stark contrast to his son's cool attitude to win the hearts of Muslim, Christian and even Jewish girls while wrestling with college entrance exams. The social injustice faced by Israel's minority class only appears to take second place to a more jovial narrative here. That's due to smooth, sure-handed direction by Zoabi, who seems to realize good-natured humor often produces a far stronger impact than bludgeoning audiences with polemics.