muayad alayan’s conversation with the sea continues festival run at hamburg and warsaw

Following its world premiere at the Venice International Film Festival and North American premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, Palestinian filmmaker Muayad Alayan’s family drama CONVERSATION WITH THE SEA continues its journey on the international festival circuit, with its German premiere set for the Kaleidoscope section of Filmfest Hamburg (Sept. 24th–Oct. 3rd), followed by its Eastern European premiere in the International Competition of the Warsaw International Film Festival (Oct. 9th–18th).

Set in Jerusalem, the film follows Kamal, a 60-year-old Palestinian man, who is ordered by an Israeli court to pay a large social security debt allegedly owed by his son Wael. But Wael drowned in the Red Sea decades ago. When no official record of his death can be found, Kamal follows the only remaining lead to uncover what happened to his son.

“The inciting incident in CONVERSATION WITH THE SEA is inspired by true and personal family events. Everything else, although fictional, represents different shades of the reality of my reflections on the complex, suffocating, and yet enriching life in Jerusalem,” said Muayad Alayan in a statement.

“At the heart of the film lies a love story about family and about our human capacity to confront our guilt, pain, and our flaws. At the heart of the film as well lies a love-and-hate letter to my only home and my only city. Nostalgia for what it used to be and grief over what it’s being forced to become,” he added.

Following its Venice premiere, the film has attracted attention from international critics. Jonathan Romney of Screen Daily described the film as “thoughtful” and “elegantly executed,” while Joseph Dimacchia of In Review Online wrote that “CONVERSATION WITH THE SEA remains a success,” calling its central paradox “fascinating.”

Written and directed by Muayad Alayan, with a screenplay co-written with Rami Alayan, the film stars Kamel El Basha, who gained critical acclaim in 2017 when he won the Volpi Cup for Best Actor during the 74th Venice International Film Festival for his role as ‘Yasser Abdallah Salameh’ in THE INSULT by the Lebanese film director Ziad Doueiri and for starring as ‘Youssef’ in the Disney UK original series CULPRITS. He also has a handful of film credits, including HAMZA, CURFEW, OUR MALES AND FEMALES, and AN ORANGE FROM JAFFA, which gained critical acclaim, nominations, and awards from festivals around the world.

Joining him are Amer Hlehel (THE VOICE OF HIND RAJAB), Ruba Blal (SAND STORM), Haitham Omari (BETHLEHEM), Bahira Ablassi (HAIFA), Maria Zreik (ALL THAT'S LEFT OF YOU), Rebecca Esmeralda Telhami (AMAL), and Ebla Mari (THE OLD OAK).

A co-production involving Palestine, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar, the film is lensed by Lorenzo Casadio Vannucci, edited by Matteo Faccenda, and scored by Fabienne Van Eck. It’s produced by PalCine Productions (Muayad Alayan and Rami Alayan) and co-produced by KeyFilm, Red Sea Fund, and Metafora Production. MAD World, the film sales arm of pan‑Arab indie studio MAD Solutions, handles worldwide rights to the film, excluding Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg.

In terms of funding, the film received support from the Hubert Bals Fund, the Netherlands Film Fund, the Doha Film Institute, and the Al Ma’mal Foundation for Contemporary Art.

Muayad Alayan is a Palestinian film director and producer whose award-winning work has been distributed globally, featured at prominent festivals, and seen by audiences all over the world.

His directorial debut, LOVE, THEFT AND OTHER ENTANGLEMENTS, premiered in Panorama at the Berlinale in 2015. His second feature film, THE REPORTS ON SARAH AND SALEEM, won the Special Jury Prize of the Rotterdam Hivos Tiger Competition and the Hubert Bals Audience Award. It won top prizes at the Seattle International Film Festival and the Durban International Film Festival and has been distributed in over 50 territories.

Alayan’s first narrative short, LESH SABREEN?, premiered in competition at the Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Festival in 2009. His third feature, A HOUSE IN JERUSALEM, premiered in Rotterdam and was nominated for the UNESCO Gandhi Medal and the Asia Pacific Screen Awards and was acquired by Netflix for MENA.