71 min
Rashid Masharawi
Fiction
2008 - Palestine/Tunisia/The Netherlands
Featuring Mohammad Bakri , Saleh Bakri, Areen Omari, Nour Zoubi and many more
The annual TPFF Party in the Pits will take place on Friday, August 8th, 2014 at 8PM at Christie Pits Park. Join us for a free screening of acclaimed Palestinian director Rashid Masharawi (Palestine Stereo, Land of the Story), and TPFF’s 2009 closing night film Laila's Birthday!
Laila's Birthday is a wry, dark comedy tracing a day in the life of a judge-turned-taxi driver.As he leaves to start his day, Abu Laila (played by Mohammad Bakri) is reminded by his wife to come home early with a cake for their daughter’s birthday. However, Abu Laila, a law-abiding judge who drives a taxi to make ends meet, faces numerous obstacles as he navigates the absurdity occupation and bureaucracy in Ramallah to complete his most important mission. Laila’s Birthday is a powerful and humorous portrait of ordinary Palestinians living in impossible circumstances in occupied Ramallah. Watch the trailer here.
We screened Laila's Birthday at our 2009 closing night! It was a wildly successful evening, the theatre was packed and energy was high. We are looking forward to sharing this wonderful film with Toronto audiences again!