Maysaloun Hamoud To Direct Revenge Thriller ‘Beretta’ For Passage Pictures

Melanie Goodfellow
·2 min read
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EXCLUSIVE: Palestinian director Maysaloun Hamoud has boarded female revenge thriller Beretta for L.A.-based Passage Pictures.

Written by Qatari-American artist, writer and filmmaker Sophia al-Maria, Beretta is billed as a female-driven Taxi Driver-style thriller centered on a selectively mute woman seeking revenge after she is attacked by a stranger.

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Beretta will be Hamoud’s second feature after her 2016 breakout In Between (Bar Bahar) about three Palestinian women sharing an apartment in contemporary Tel Aviv, navigating religious, sexual and racial fault lines away from home.

The drama premiered at Toronto where it won the NETPAC Award, before heading to San Sebastian were it was also feted. Hamoud was also honored with the Women in Motion Young Talents Award at Cannes in 2017.

Al Maria is best known for her work around her coined term of “Gulf Futurism”, exploring the impact of rapid modernisation in the Gulf region on architecture, urban planning, art, aesthetics and popular culture.

Her work has exhibited at Gwangju Biennale, The Tate Modern, and The Architectural Association School of Architecture in London.

She also released the memoir The Girl Who Fell To Earth in 2012.

Passage Pictures CEO Uri Singer is producing Beretta with L.A.-based producer Aimee Peyronnet (The Lovely Bones).

“Maysaloun is the perfect match to direct this fantastic, truly special script from Sophia al-Maria,” said Singer.

“We’re excited to bring this gem to life with Maysaloun at the helm – anyone who has watched her first film knows that she is a unique talent, especially when it comes to bringing women’s stories to the screen.”

Singer is represented by Knol Hanly PC. Hamoud is represented by CAA.

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