78 min
Susan Youssef
Fiction
2011 - Palestine, USA, The Netherlands, United Arab Emirates

Featuring Maisa Abd Elhadi , Kais Nashif , Yussuf Abu-Warda and many more

Habibi, based on the Arabic folkloric story of Layla and Qays (the Arabic Romeo and Juliet) is re-told, and filmed, in modern day Gaza.The subjects of this tragic romance are two university students studying in the West Bank whose love story is abruptly interrupted after their student visas are revoked by Israel and they are forced to return to their families in Gaza. Desperate to be together, Qays requests to marry Layla but is refused by her middle-class family who feel he is too poor to support her. Trapped between political oppression and a patriarchal society, the young couple take matters into their own hands in order to be together. Not just a love story, this award-winning film reveals the modern day pressures and lack of opportunities for youth living in Gaza.

Awards: Best Film, FIPRESCI Prize, Best Actress, and Best Editor at the Dubai International Film Festival in the Arab Muhr Competition

Co-presented by Toronto International Film Festival.

Screened with Haneen