Tipped for Cannes: Tawfik Abu-Wael’s Tanathor

Tawfik Abu-Wael is a 35 year-old Arab-Israeli filmmaker who appears to be set for a second splash in Cannes. Born and raised in the northern town of Um El Fahm, at an early age, he went against his family wishes, and moved to Tel Aviv, where he studied the art of filmmaking. In 2004 his feature debut Atash-Thirst received heavy critical praise and it won the FIPRESCI award in Cannes that year. Domestically, it won an Ophir Award (Israeli Oscar) for Best Cinematography and another award for Best Israeli Feature at the Jerusalem Film Festival. Atash-Thirst was a highly stylized story of an Arab family living in a secluded location, struggling with a lack of running water. The film opened a window to the lives of Arabs in Israel, not often depicted on the screen by their own sons.

In the seven years since his debut, Abu-Wael has been painstakingly raising funds for his second feature. Finally, he managed to find a home in Amir Harel’s Lama Productions (Walk on Water, Jellyfish, and the Oscar nominated Paradise Now) and these days he is putting the finishing touches to Tanathor. This time the film takes place in Eastern Jerusalem, telling of an Arab couple on the brink of separation. The woman begins rehearsing a theater play based on her life story. Re-living her own tragic life through the rehearsals might bring her and her husband to make peace with their past, and keep on living together, in spite of everything. In the pic you find above you’ll find the filmmaker teaming with French cinematographer Caroline Champetier (Of Gods and Men), and below the director with unknown actress Lana Haj Yihye. Here’s a lengthy synopsis from the Berlin FF.

Rumors on the Israeli net claim that Abu Wael already received confirmation from officials in France that his film has been accepted to the line-up of the upcoming Cannes Film Festival. It is highly unlikely that Abu Wael will manage to steal the spotlight from well established directors expected on the Croisette — so a Main Comp spot does appear unlikely, but on the other hand, we have examples such as Cristian Mungiu – whose was mostly an unknown when his 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days won the Palme d’Or.