INSHALLAH A BOY (INSHALLAH WALAD) Discovery

U.S. Premiere

Jordan’s Oscar^® submission for Best International Feature

INSHALLAH A BOY makes evident from its outset that in contemporary Jordan, women are not valued or respected as autonomous beings, let alone as heads of households. When Nawal’s husband suddenly dies, she begins an insufferable battle against her family of in-laws who have no problem leaving her and her young daughter destitute. Nawal’s only saving grace in order to keep her home and ward off the escalating harassment from her pesky brother-in-law is to give birth to a son who can legally receive her inheritance. Facing not only the wrath of her extended family, but also of Jordan’s chauvinistic society, Nawal actively resists her doomed circumstances with cunning prowess. Driven by a breakout performance from Mouna Hawa (IN BETWEEN), INSHALLAH A BOY combines themes of social realism, feminism and suspense to form an engrossing provocation of resistance and tenacity. The first feature from Jordan to ever screen at the Cannes Film Festival. –Julia Kipnis