Kohl & Cardamom
Spring Grants 2023 - Development Stage
Fady Atallah / Feature Narrative / Egypt, Sweden, Qatar / 90 min / Original Language: Arabic / Interests: Coming of age
Synopsis
In a small Egyptian town in the late 1980s, Abdullah (14 years old) leads what seems to be a calm life with his parents. But deeper, Abdullah is immersed in his own world, relying on his enjoyment of small pleasures such as food, with an immense passion for discovering adulthood. One day Abdullah learns that his favourite singer, the then-rising star Mohammed Mounir, is holding a concert for the first time in the history of the quiet town. Abdullah aspires to go—however, he must first overcome his tense relationship with his father, who initially refuses, but later agrees with the sole condition that Abdullah behaves well and does not cause trouble for the remaining five days until the concert.
Abdullah tries his best to keep his side of the bargain, but things don’t go as planned due to some unfortunate luck and the occasional wrong decision from Abdullah. This all coincides with a problem that his father faces at work that threatens their financial situation. The accumulated tension leads to Abdullah getting violently beaten at the hands of his father. Despite the heat, both father and son discover the other, and their true warm feelings emerge to the surface. By the end of the fifth day, the father allows Abdullah to attend the concert.
Credits
- Director
- Fady Atallah
- Screenwriter
- Screenplay by: Elshekhiby & Fady Gamal Atallah, Co-writer: Mohamed Adel
- Producer
- Marwa Tammam
- Production Company
- Patchwork Productions, B-Retta Film
About the Director
Fady Gamal Atallah is an Egyptian director, producer and researcher based in Cairo and Stockholm. Coming from an engineering background, Fady studied film at Stockholm Film School and achieved his MA in filmmaking at De Montfort University in the UK. He is a current PhD candidate in audio-visual film studies at the University of Birmingham. Fady implemented several award-winning short films and documentaries, where official selections included Raindance Film Festival in 2019, and awards included Special Jury Prize at Cairo National Film Festival in 2016. Fady is currently acting as a director and producer in several projects in different stages of development, including close collaborations with filmmakers in Egypt, Lebanon, Italy and Sweden. His works in development have been recognised by several bodies like the Swedish Film Institute, Sardegna Film Commission and Doha Film Institute.