The Burdened Movie Details:
Original title | المرهقون |
Country | Yemen, Sudan, Saudi Arabia |
Language | Arabic |
Genre | Drama |
Release date | 18 February 2023 (Berlin) |
Running time | 1hr 31min |
Starring | Khaled Hamdan Abeer Mohammed Samah Alamrani Islam Saleem |
Directed by | Amr Gamal |
Written by | Amr Gamal Mazen Refaat |
Produced by | Mohsen Alkhalifi Amr Gamal Amjad Abu Alala |
Cinematography by | Mrinal Desai |
Edited by | Heba Othman |
Music by | Chen Ming-chang |
Production Company | Adenium Productions |
Distributor | Films Boutiques (International) MAD solutions (Middle East) |
The Burdened Movie Cast & Characters:
- Khaled Hamdan as Ahmed
- Abeer Mohammed as Isra’a
- Samah Alamrani as Muna
- Islam Saleem as Anwar
- Roaa Al-Hamshari as Nouran
- Omar Elyas as Nawar
Storyline:
The film talks about struggling of a Yemeni family in the port city of Aden in the southern region of Yemen. It follows Ahmed, his pregnant wife Isra’a, and their three children after they both lost their jobs due to the economic crisis.
About The Burdened Movie:
The Burdened (Arabic: المرهقون, romanized: al-Murhiqūn) is a drama film based on a true story. It is the second film directed by the Yemeni filmmaker Amr Gamal who co-wrote the script with Mazen Reaat. It stars Khaled Hamdan, Abeer Mohammed, Samah Alamrani, and Islam Saleem.
In 2021, Director Amr Gamal started shooting his second feature film, The Burdened, which was shot entirely in Aden City with a joint Yemeni and foreign crew. Due to the complex political situation in Yemen, filming continued for 70 days. Filming began on August 24, 2021, and ended on November 10, 2021. During filming, the cast and crew were stuck in a hotel in Aden for five days due to armed confrontations surrounding the hotel.
The Burdened is a co-production between Yemen, Sudan, and Saudi Arabia with the participation of artists and technicians from Yemen, Sudan, Egypt, Lebanon, India, the United Kingdom, Taiwan, and the Czech Republic.
Yemeni businessmen and the Yemeni government funded the pre-production and production of the film. As a result of the great success of the director’s first film, 10 Days Before the Wedding, local businessmen, the government, and the Southern Transitional Council were interested in supporting his new film.
Later the film received post-production funding from the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, Malmo Arab Film Festival, and the Red Sea International Film Festival.
On 18 February 2023, The Burdened became the first Yemeni film to be screened at the Berlin International Film Festival, and then it was screened at a number of international film festivals such as Sydney International Film Festival, Shanghai International Film Festival, Beijing International Film Festival, Valencia International Film Festival, Taipei International Film Festival, and Durban International Film Festival. The film was released commercially in Taiwan theaters on August 11, 2023.
The Burdened has received widespread critical acclaim from both film critics and audiences. The film won several awards at several international film festivals.