WAFilms has unveiled the trailer for its Syrian refugee story Jacir, from Writer/Director Waheed AlQawasmi, starring Academy Award Nominee Lorraine Bracco (The Sopranos, Goodfellas), Lebanese newcomer Malek Rahbani and YouTube star Darius "Tutweezy" Tutwiler. It will hold its world premiere at the 53rd Nashville Film Festival (NashFilm), taking place from September 29 to October 5 in Nashville, Tennessee.
From Aleppo to the Ghetto. Jacir follows the life of a young Syrian refugee (Rahbani) on the streets of Memphis, Tennessee, as he faces the hard truth of chasing the American dream. He finds himself alone, living in poverty, without knowledge of the culture, and struggling with his poor English… very far from the ideal new life he imagined. A strange new environment is the least of Jacir's problems when he befriends a cat, Morty, who belongs to his next-door neighbor, Meryl (Bracco), a conservative Caucasian lady who is an opioid-addicted shut-in and former blues singer. Jacir also discovers an ally in an African American rapper named Jerome (Tutweezy).
Lorraine Bracco is an Oscar, Emmy, and Golden Globe nominee known for her turns in Martin Scorsese's Goodfellas and David Chase's beloved television series The Sopranos, among many other films and TV projects. She will next feature as the voice of Sofia the Seagull in Robert Zemeckis' live-action adaptation of Pinocchio for Disney+. Malek Rahbani is the grandson of Mansour Rahbani, the Lebanese composer, musician, producer, and one-half of the Rahbani brothers. He grew up surrounded by artists, music, and poetry. His TV career includes playing Tiger on Chawareh Al-Zill and co-writing and acting in the Jungle Law series, which he worked on with his brothers, Mansour and Tarek. Jacir is produced by Mariana Trevino and AlQawasmi, with Larry Tolbert, Martin Kelman, Ron Lazarov, Jill, and Scott Notowich serving as executive producers. The exquisite original score was created by Justin Toland, with original Rap and Blues songs written by Al Kapone and produced by Lawrence "Boo" Mitchell.
Born in Amman, Jordan Waheed AlQawasmi is known as a producer and director of short films and music videos. Jacir is his feature directorial debut, and he is the film's writer as well.
The film will hold its world premiere at the 53rd Nashville Film Festival (NashFilm), taking place from September 29 to October 5 in Nashville, Tennessee. For more info, check out the festival's website.
All images courtesy of the filmmakers, used with permission.
