Film guide 2016
Barakah Meets Barakah
Two young people from different social worlds try to find a place for romance in Jeddah.
- Original title
- بركة يقابل بركة — Barakah Yoqabil Barakah
- Director
- Mahmoud Sabbagh
- Year
- 2016
Editorial profile. Availability on LAREINE TV has not been confirmed.
Story, without spoilers
Barakah works for the municipality and performs in amateur theatre. Bibi comes from a wealthy family and has a large online following. Their chance meeting sparks an attraction, but arranging a simple date becomes complicated by the expectations and restrictions governing their everyday lives.
Context & recognition
Mahmoud Sabbagh’s first feature premiered in the Berlinale Forum in 2016. Filmed in Jeddah, the romantic comedy uses a couple’s search for privacy to consider class, public space and generational aspirations.
Main characters & cast
Barakah
Hisham Fageeh
A municipal employee and amateur actor from a modest background.
Bibi / Barakah
Fatima Al Banawi
A socially visible young woman whose online confidence contrasts with obstacles to meeting freely.