Hajjan
Tartu's first Arabian adventure saddles up for historic camel races (organised in the Wadi Rum desert) and a passionate coming-of-age story on the sandy battlefield of heroic youthful good against pure, punishing evil. There's adrenaline, untamed camels, boundless love, a subplot about a brave woman in an all-male sport and a test of loyalty in the vastness of nature, directed in the style of a Spielbergian epic by Egyptian pro Abu Bakr Shawky. His debut "Yomeddine" competed in Cannes in 2018, and "Hajjan's" ride began in Toronto in the autumn of 2023.
Omar Al-Atawi, in his debut role, is astonishing as the relentless Matar, who, like his legendary grandfather, is destined to become Hajjan. "Hajjan" means jockey or rider in Arabic. Continuing the family's ancient traditions, Matar develops a deep bond with a camel, Hofira, who is sold for slaughter. The teenage Bedouin has no choice but to make a menacing pact and ride for the evil merchant Jasser to save his beloved Hofira from misery and avenge the painful death of his older brother Ghanim.
Abu Bakr Shawky (1985) is an Egyptian-Austrian filmmaker. He studied Political Science at the American University in Cairo and received an MFA in Film Production from NYU Tisch School of the Arts. His graduation project was his debut feature “Yomeddine” (2018). It was selected to participate in the 2018 Cannes Film Festival where it premiered in the Main Competition section and won the François Chalais Prize. The film also won the second prize for Best Feature Film at the Carthage International Film Festival and was Egypt’s official submission for the 91st Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film.
Filmography:
Yom el-Din (Yommedine, PÖFF 2018), 30/30 Vision: 3 Decades of Strand Releasing (2019, co-dir), Hajjan (Hajjan kõrbedžoki, 2023), The Stories (2025)