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Woman of Steel (Okht Rjal)

Ajyal Competition, Made in Qatar

Synopsis

An earnest and empathetic portrait of a matriarch who works tirelessly for her family. Um Mohamed is a proud mother and a wife. Due to her husband’s post-polio disability, he is incapable of working. As a result, Um Mohamed roams the streets of Irbid, collecting scrap metal and recyclables to sell in the male-dominant industrial area. Though she provides for her family and has undoubtedly earned the title of “breadwinner”, she lacks the recognition and power often afforded to a man in her situation.

About the Directors

Abbas Kiarostami
Born in Iran, Kiarostami founded the cinema department at the Institute for the Intellectual Development of Children & Young Adults, where he directed his first short films. "A Taste of Cherry" in 1997 marked his entry into the ranks of award winners and "Certified Copy" marks his first production outside of his native country.

Obada Yousef Jarbi is a Jordanian resident of Qatar who holds a bachelor’s degree in Mass Communication and Broadcast Journalism from Qatar University. He made his directorial debut with the documentary ‘Addicted to Alienation’ (2016). His second short film ‘The Fishermen’ (2017), created through Doha Film Institute’s documentary workshop, screened in several international film festivals. In 2016 he started developing his documentary ‘Okht Rjal’, going through the development process at Qumra 2018 and beginning filming in 2019 as a part of DFI’s documentary workshop with ‘Rithy Panh’.

Credits

Director

Obada Yousef Jarbi

Screenwriter

Abbas Kiarostami

Producer

Abbas Kiarostami, Nathanaël Karmitz, Marin Karmitz, Charles Gillibert, Angelo Barbagallo

Editor

Amit Chowdhury

Director of Photography

Luca Bigazzi

Production Designer

Giancarlo Basili, Ludovica Ferrario

Executive Producer

Gaetano Daniele

Sound

Severin Favriau, Falah Hannoun

Cast

Juliette Binoche, William Shimell, Jean-Claude Carriere, Agathe Natanson

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