Mawlana

MOVIES | Drama, Thriller, Religious
2016

Country of origin: Egypt

"A seemingly traditional journey of a young sheikh in a governmental mosque who moves from leading prayers to becoming a TV celebrity issuing “fatwas” that are accepted by millions who have become fans of his as a result of his courage and his attempts to deviate from the usual religious rhetoric in a society heavily influenced by fundamentalism.

Sheikh Hatem finds himself caught in a complex network of conflict, between the partial loss of a son being treated abroad and a wife whose love has grown cold, and security institutions trying to control him and - using his vulnerabilities - exploiting him to serve their interests.

Meanwhile, a sovereign entity entangles him in solving a problem for the president, whose son causes the family an embarrassment such a fragile society can’t handle. “I cannot tell the entire truth, but I do my very best to speak nothing else.” This is what Sheikh Hatem tries to do.

Will he be able to create even a small fracture in a thick wall of hypocrisy and fear?"

- Winner Circle Award - Washington Film Festival 2017
- Winner Audience Award - Mizna Arab Film Festival 2017
- Winner Audience Award - Helsinki African Film Festival 2017

- Official Selection (MUHR) for Dubai International Film Festival 2016