Eid milad Laila (2008)

Director:

Rashid Masharawi

Writer:

Rashid Masharawi (screenplay)

Release Date:

9 April 2009 (Netherlands)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

Abu Laila used to be a judge, but because the government doesn't have the means to renew his assignment he is forced to be a taxi driver...

Plot Keywords:

Palestine | Taxi Driver | Taxi | Candle | Cell Phone

Awards:

2 wins

Cast

Mohammed Bakri	...	Abu Laila
Areen Omari	...	Um Laila
Nour Zoubi	...	Laila

Also Known As:

Laila's Birthday (International: English title)

Runtime:

71 min

Country:

Palestine | Tunisia | Netherlands

Language:

Arabic

Color:

Color

Certification:

USA:Unrated

Filming Locations:

Ramallah, Palestine

Company:

Cinema Production Center

This film must be shown to all families.

Palestinian director Rashid Mashrawi's film Laila's birthday is a film about the harsh realities of occupied Palestine.The theme of his film concerns emotional upheavals of ordinary people who are nothing but ordinary citizens of a nation which is continually at war.They are troubled in their daily existence by their own intricate idiosyncrasies.We can all easily relate to the pains of our film's protagonist, a taxi driver with his own set of principles who worked as a judge in the past. It is only under dire situations that a judge would be compelled to earn living as a cab driver.The mood of the film is both sombre as well as comic. This is a film for all people with families and children as its teaches values which are important for the society as a whole. Laila's birthday can be summarized as a funny chaotic day in the life of a simple minded taxi driver. It is a feel good film whose end can be easily predicted. A thing which might irk certain sections of viewers involves silly Israel bashing by Rashid Mashrawi as he indulges in it every now and then.