
Wajib
Directed by
Palestine, Colombia, Germany, France, United Emirates, Qatar, and Norway
2017
96 min
- Arabic
Drama
Toronto IFFMar del Plata IFF
Abu Shadi is a divorced father and a school teacher in his mid-60s living in Nazareth. After his daughter’s wedding in one month he will be living alone. Shadi, his architect son, arrives from Rome after years abroad to help his father in hand delivering the wedding invitations as per local Palestinian custom. As the estranged pair spend the day together, the tense details of their relationship come to a head challenging their fragile and very different lives.
Awards
- Don Quixote Award, Special Prize, Youth Jury Award - Locarno Festival
- Palestinian submission for the Academy Awards / Don Quixote Award, Special Prize, Youth Jury Award - Locarno Festival
- Palestinian submission for the Academy Awards
- Special Mention - BFI London IFF
- Youth Jury Prize - Cinemed Montpellier
- Best Fiction Feature, Best Actor (Mohammad Bakri and Saleh Bakri) - Dubai IFF
Festivals
- Locarno Film Festival 2017
- BFI London Film Festival 2017
- Busan International Film Festival 2017
- AFI FEST 2017
- Dubai International Film Festival 2017
- International Film Festival Rotterdam 2018
- Göteborg Film Festival 2018
- San Francisco International Film Festival 2018
- Odesa International Film Festival 2018
- Doha Film Institute Qumra 2021
Labels & Line Ups
Credits
- Cinematography
- Antoine Heberle
- Editing
- Jacques Comets
Director's Statement
In Palestine, there is a tradition which remains a big part of life today. When someone gets married, the men of the family, usually the father and sons, are expected to personally deliver the wedding invitations to each invitee in person. There is no mailing of invitations, or having them delivered by strangers. And unless the invitations are personally delivered, it is considered disrespectful. I don’t know any other place which adheres to this tradition as much as the Palestinians living in the North of Palestine, where WAJIB is set. WAJIB loosely means «social duty». When my husband sister’s got married, it was his wajib to deliver the invitations with his father. I decided to silently tag along as he and his father spent five days traversing the city and surrounding villages delivering each invitation. As the silent observer, it was at times funny and other times painful. Aspects of that special relationship between father and son, the tensions of a sometimes tested love between them, came out in small ways. I began working on the idea for a film about this fragile relationship.
- Sales
- PYRAMIDE INTERNATIONAL
- Production
- PHILISTINE FILMS
Press
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An intimate, well-played disquisition on what it means to be a Palestinian abroad versus a Palestinian at home.
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A nicely low-key comedy-drama of fangled family and community ties.
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Accessible and genial glimpse into a complex and sometimes fraught area of the Middle East.
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Jacir's strong suits are as a scriptwriter and as a director of actors. She crafts lively, believable dialogue throughout, shot through with a likable streak of earthy humor, providing nuanced characterisations for the Bakris to convincingly inhabit and bring to three-dimensional life.
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A whip-smart, moving comedy.

Annemarie Jacir
Palestine
Growing up Palestinian, you know there is always another side of the story. There is a hidden side, something marginalized, something that we are not being told. So as a filmmaker I have learned to look for that. Being Palestinian has informed the way I approach all my stories, whether it has to do directly with Palestine or not. I learned at a young age to look for the other side of the story.
Palestinian filmmaker Annemarie Jacir has written, directed and produced over sixteen films. Her films LIKE TWENTY IMPOSSIBLES and SALT OF THE SEA were selected in Cannes and WHEN I SAW YOU - in Berlin. Her latest film WAJIB premiered in Locarno Festival. Annemarie also teaches screenwriting, works as an editor and script consultant. Her latest TV series project MORNINGS IN JENIN was selected at Qumra 2021.