Screenings of “Barakah Meets Barakah” at Vancouver International Film Festival

Mahmoud Sabbagh’s remarkably candid Saudi Arabian love story uses acerbic humour to provide an insightful look at a time and place where tradition clashes with the modern world of smart phones and social media.

• Director Mahmoud Sabbagh
• Country of Origin:Saudi Arabia
• Year:2016
• Running Time:88 mins
• Cast: Hisham Fageeh, Fatima Al Banawi, Sami Hifny, Khairia Nazmi, Abdulmajeed Al-Ruhaidi, Turki SheikkDirector Mahmoud Sabbagh

Genial Barakah (Hisham Fageeh) is a Jeddah municipal civil servant whose origins are humble, to say the least, while Bibi (Fatima Al Banawi) is the wild and beautiful adopted daughter of a rich couple. Serving as a crowd-­puller for her stylish adoptive mother’s boutique, she has also become ultra-­famous thanks to her own vlog. When Barakah and Bibi meet by chance at a photo shoot, the two share a kinetic moment. Could it be love at first sight? And what could a municipal agent and a gorgeous media star possibly have in common? Surrendering to their mutual attraction, the young could-­be ­couple set out to get to know each other better. But under the ever­-watchful eye of authority-­-where meeting in public unchaperoned is prohibited and physical contact is verboten­—Barakah and Bibi find that even a first date is near­ impossible.