Mohammed Nizar’s new film Selahy, by director Alaa Zebara, has been officially selected to compete within the Competition Shorts at the Bentonville Film Festival, which is led by the renowned Geena Davis. Set to take place from the 2nd to the 8th of August, the festival has also announced the 2021 selections for its narrative and documentary film competitions. Written and directed by Alaa Zabara, Selahy stars Mohammad Nizar and Malak Nassar.
Set in war-torn Yemen, the film follows a young deaf girl, Saleemah, whose only weapon is her camera that her brother Aqeel got her. Working as a news reporter, Aqeel and is unable to take her out to film because he is preoccupied covering the war, so Saleemah wanders out of the house during an impending airstrike.
Taking place in Bentonville, Arkansas, the Bentonville Film Festival offers a colorful hybrid virtual program with virtual and in-person activities, including premieres, conversations, and awards. This year’s festival will feature a 30th-anniversary screening of “Thelma and Louise”, followed by a conversation with its star Geena Davis.
Mohammad Nizar is a Jordanian rising star who marked his breakthrough in Netflix's first Arabic-speaking original, Jinn (2019). In the same year, Nizar appeared in the TV series Oboor that premiered in Ramadan. Prior to that, in 2014, Nizar took part in director Jon Stewart’s American film Rosewater. He then starred in a number of award-winning short films in 2016, Namous by Samer Battikhi and director Said Zagha’s multiple award-winning film Five Boys and A Wheel, which was headlined by the international actor Ali Suliman. In 2020, Nizar starred in the two award-winning short films; The Ghosts We Left at Home and Selahy, which were both screened in a number of international festivals. His recent works also include Gaza Mon Amour, by directors Tarzan and Arab Nasser, which landed its world premiere at Venice International Film Festival in 2020.
