Completed - ARABIC - Drama - 80 minutes
HABIBI is a dramatic feature that tells the story of a forbidden love in Gaza. The film is a modern re-telling of the famous ancient Sufi parable 'Majnun Layla'.
Year of production : 2011 Director(s) : Susan YOUSSEF Cast : Kais NASHEF, Maisa ABDELHADI, Najwa MUBARKI Producer(s) : Susan YOUSSEF
Two students in the West Bank, Qays and Layla, are forced to return home to Gaza, where their love defies tradition. Separated by class and regional boundaries in one of Gaza's most conservative areas, Qays and Layla must take action to rescue their fate as lovers. Set in 2001, HABIBI is a modern retelling of the romance of Majnun Layla, or 'Madman for Layla,' a seventh century Arab poet named for the intense passion he showed for his lover. The film features Majnun Layla's original love poetry, in the form of the graffiti Qays writes across town to reach out to his own beloved Layla.
Country(ies) : PALESTINE, NETHERLANDS, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES, USA