Overview
- The Saudi Film Commission announced the choice following the film’s September Venice premiere, where it won the NETPAC Award for Best Asian Film.
- The road drama follows 12-year-old Janna on a Hajj journey with her grandmother and sister before a disappearance prompts a search, and it features an all-Saudi cast led by Khairia Nathmy and newcomer Lamar Fadan.
- Ameen called the selection a profound honor and pointed to the ongoing transformation of Saudi cinema since the lifting of the 35-year cinema ban in 2017.
- Production was led by the Iraqi Independent Film Centre with partners including Beit Ameen and Ideation Studios, backed by the Red Sea Fund, Film AlUla, the Saudi Film Commission, Neom Media and the Ithra Film Fund.
- CineWaves will distribute in Saudi Arabia, Film Clinic Indie Distribution will handle the Arab world, and international sales are managed by the Iraqi Independent Film Centre.