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Principal photography has commenced on the Arab underworld thriller “Boomah” (“The Owl”), written and directed by Zaid Abu Hamdan and marking the Jordanian filmmaker’s second feature following his critically acclaimed “Daughters of Abdul Rahman.”
Previously announced in December, Rakeen Saad is set to play the titular role of the female thug Boomah. Saad rose to acclaim for her central roles in hit shows “The Giza Killer” and the Netflix original “Al Rawabi School for Girls,” and will next be seen as the lead in a new Netflix series production “Echoes of the Past” and “The Way of the Wind,” the biblical drama by Terrence Malick.
“Boomah” — now shooting in Jordan — reunites Saad with Rawabi co-star Joanna Arida who will play the role of her best friend and confidant Anoud. Arida will next appear in “Laura H,” a Dutch TV series based on the bestseller by journalist Thomas Rueb. Rounding out the cast are Majd Eid (Ali Abbasi’s “Holy Spider” and Adil & Bilall’s “Rebel”), Nabil Al Raee (“200 Meters,” “The Idol” and Farah Nabulsi’s “The Teacher”) and Hanan Al Hilo (“Daughters of Abdul Rahman”).
“Boomah” is described as an expansive crime thriller set against the backdrop of Jordan’s underworld, following a notorious and knife-savvy female gang member who becomes embroiled in a power struggle between street thugs and religious extremists while battling the traumas of her harrowing orphaned past.
The film is produced by Front Row Productions and Bounce Productions. Front Row’s work includes Netflix originals “Perfect Strangers”, “The Sandcastle” starring Nadine Labaki and Ziad Bakri, and the upcoming “Cliffhanger” reboot. Bounce Productions is based in Jordan and headed by Ahmad Abu Koush and director Abu Hamdan. Also on board is Bayt Al Shawareb known for their work on the 2014 Oscar-nominated film “Theeb” and the 2023 Cannes feature “Inshallah a Boy”.
“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,” said Gianluca Chakra and Mario Jr. Haddad in a joint statement. “Zaid is an outstanding young and ambitious director with a very bright future ahead, a true visionary and difference-maker. His understanding of the nuances of Jordanian street culture is exceptional. We are concentrating on a script and storytelling that transcends borders and nationality while looking to break the limits of background and identity to bring ‘Boomah’ to a wide Arab audience and beyond. We see ‘Boomah’ positioned as a film with Arab and international appeal, as a crime thriller reminiscent of great underworld juggernaut works like ‘City of God,’ ‘Gomorrah,’ ‘La Haine,’ and others.”
Co-producers on the film are Maia Malas, Carine Chaiban, Elie Touma, Nicolas Torloting, Sari Silawi, and Dalia Al-Nimr.
