AL-Madeeneh 2008
About the Film
When Fuad, a maintenance worker, loses another job in a scarce market, he decides to leave Al-Madeeneh, the crumbling old town he once maintained with his late father. At the passport office, a fleeting encounter with Wedad, who slips her phone number, pulls him back.
For three days, as they fall in love over night conversations, the town seems to bloom: weddings spill into streets, rumors of uranium hidden in lanterns spark hope, and a desperate man claims he dreamt of buried gold in his for-sale house, involving Fuad with his feverish search.
But when Fuad’s phone is stolen, and with it, Wedad disappears, everything begins to collapse. He loses his shelter and savings, watches land thieves kill a local owner in a prison, only to be embraced by Al-Madeeneh’s powerful figures, and the gold dream was just that. Al-Madeeneh is a portrait of Yemeni life at the brink, a time capsule of days before everything unraveled.
Country(s): Yemen
Production company: Semasser
Coproduction Company: Kometa Films
Runtime: 110 min
Director Yousef Assabahi
Yousef Assabahi is a Yemeni writer and director currently based in Los Angeles. After completing his studies at UCLA’s School of Theater, Film, and Television in 2018, Yousef has written and directed several short films and commercials that explore cultural identity and collective memory of Yemenis at home and abroad. His films have screened in international festivals, universities and cultural institutions. Yousef’s recent short premiered at the Oscar-qualifying St. Louis International Film Festival, won Best Short at the Hollywood Arab Film Festival, and was shown at the Kennedy Center among others.
Producer Ala’a Amer
Ala’a Amer is a Yemeni American producer and filmmaker based between the U.S. and the Middle East. With a background in computer science and an MBA, she blends technical precision with a strong creative vision. She has produced commercials, documentaries, and narrative films across the U.S., Saudi Arabia, and Yemen, managing budgets from micro to mid-scale.
Her work focuses on stories from underrepresented communities. Her first Yemeni short premiered at the Red Sea International Film Festival and screened at several Oscar-qualifying festivals. She is currently co-producing Paradise, her first U.S. feature produced by Vic Bulluak, and developing her debut Yemeni feature, Al-Madeeneh 2008.
Coproducer Edyta Janczak-Hiriart
Edyta Janczak-Hiriart is a French-Polish producer and founder of Kometa Films, a company dedicated to supporting bold, author-driven cinema rooted in intimate and political realities. A graduate of the Łódź Film School, she is an EAVE member, part of ACE Series Special, and was named one of MIPTV’s Producers to Watch in 2023. Her recent work includes films selected and awarded at major festivals such as Cannes, Locarno, Berlinale, Venice, and the Red Sea Film Festival, reflecting a strong commitment to singular artistic visions and international co-production. Working between France and Poland, she also co-founded Scale&Scope, a consulting structure focused on tailored international development, and regularly mentors, consults, and teaches within leading film institutions and labs.