Oscar-nominated Omar finally hits Middle East theatres

Adam Bakri stars as Omar in the film Omar. Courtesy ZBros

Two years after it first wowed audiences at the Cannes Film Festival, and one Oscar nomination later, the Palestinian hit movie Omar is finally to get a Middle East release thanks to Egyptian distributor MAD Solutions.

Starting from Wednesday, May 20, Omar will hit Egyptian theatres, followed by a May 21 release in the UAE, Kuwait, Oman and Iraq, coinciding with its world premiere in Cannes Film Festival, where it received the first of many awards.

Regarding the release of Omar, Alaa Karkouti, CEO and co-founder of MAD Solutions said: "We believe that this is the best time to release Omar in the Arab world at the heels of Hany Abu-Assad. The simultaneous release in 5 Arab countries will achieve one of our goals to merge the Arab film market into a more sustainable entity that is more embracing of spectacular, and thereby increasing the appeal of the film across a wider audience platform".

Director Hany Abu-Assad added,: “I am extremely happy that finally Omar is getting the chance to be released in the Arabic world. This release means a lot to me as I consider this movie as homage to the Egyptian thriller. It’s a film about love, friendship and trust against the background of political oppression; themes that we deal with on daily basis in our lives, especially in this time”