LOS ANGELES: American-Jordanian director Waheed Al-Qawasmi’s feature film debut “Jacir” has found success on the local circuit, with an award at the BendFilm Festival.
Lebanon’s Malek Rahbani, who plays the lead character, nabbed the special jury prize at October’s awards.
“I was so happy that I won the special jury prize for my performance in the film. I wasn’t expecting that. I tell you, I was over the moon when this happened,” the actor told Arab News.
The film is about Jacir, a Syrian refugee, who escaped the war only to find himself in a crime-ridden ghetto in Memphis, Tennessee. Central to the story is Jacir’s slowly strengthening bond with his racist, drug-addicted neighbor, played by Oscar-nominated actress Lorraine Bracco.
Bracco previously starred in HBO’s “The Sopranos” and Martin Scorsese’s “Goodfellas.”
“Working with Miss Lorraine Bracco, I call her my teacher. Every day on set was like going to film school. It was going to film school. We learned so much from her because, as they say, she’s the OG,” Rahbani, who is the grandson of Lebanese composer, musician and producer Mansour Rahbani, said.
Rahbani’s TV career includes a role in “Chawareh Al-Zill” and co-writing and acting in the “Jungle Law Shariaat Al-Ghab” series, which he worked on with his brothers Mansour and Tarek.
Rahbani shared his thoughts on the core message of the film, for which the producers are now seeking a distributor.
“This is my baby. What can I say? I love this film so much. I was privileged to have worked with an amazing cast and crew; and the director and writer and producer, Waheed Al-Qawasmi, really wrote a very heartwarming story that unfortunately is still relevant to our times today.”
Al-Qawasmi previously directed shorts and music videos and is known to focus on life in Memphis in much of his work. He wrote and directed the short films “Swings” and “Scorned.”
“Jacir” was produced by Mariana Trevino and Al-Qawasmi. The original score was created by Justin Toland, with original rap and blues songs written by noted Memphis rapper Al Kapone and produced by Lawrence “Boo” Mitchell.