The cast of upcoming Arab crime thriller Boomah has been revealed as director Zaid Abu Hamdan begins filming in Jordan.
As previously reported, the title role is to be played by Rakeen Saad, star of Netflix hit AlRawabi School For Girls and who will next be seen in Netflix series Echoes Of The Past and Terrence Malick’s biblical drama The Way Of The Wind.
Boomah will see Saad reunite with Rawabi co-star Joanna Arida, who will play the role of her best friend and confidant Anoud. Arida will next be seen in Dutch TV series Laura H.
Rounding out the cast are Majd Eid, whose credits include Ali Abbasi’s Cannes Competition title Holy Spider and Adil and Bilall’s Rebel; Nabil Al Raee of 200 Meters and Farah Nabulsi’s The Teacher; and Hanan Al Hilo, who reunites with director Abu Hamdan after previously starring in his first feature Daughters Of Abdul Rahman.
Produced by Dubai-based Front Row Productions and burgeoning Jordanian outfit Bounce Productions, shooting is set to wrap in the first week of August. Also on board is Amman-based Bayt Al Shawareb, known for its work on Oscar-nominated feature Theeb and 2023 Cannes title Inshallah A Boy.
Abu Hamdan has also written the crime thriller, which is set against the backdrop of Jordan’s underworld and follows Boomah, a notorious and knife-savvy female gang member who becomes caught up in a power struggle between street thugs and religious extremists while battling the traumas of her orphaned past.
In a joint statement, producers Gianluca Chakra and Mario Jr. Haddad said: “We’re proud to be a part of this project, supporting Jordanian and Levantine talent during this extremely difficult and trying period, with so much risk inherent in cinema and arts coming out of this region.”
They added that the film will be positioned to appeal to both Arab and international audiences, drawing comparisons with crime thrillers such as Gomorrah, City Of God and La Haine.
Coproducers on the feature include Maia Malas, Carine Chaiban, Elie Touma, Nicolas Torloting, Sari Silawi and Dalia Al-Nimr.
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