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Sheikh Jackson
+Minnesota Premiere
+Egypt
Friday, 9/28
5:30 p.m.
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SHEIKH JACKSON
Amr Salama
narrative
93 mins / 2017
Egypt
Arabic with English subtitles
Minnesota premiere
Khaled (Ahmad El-Fishawy) is a respected and pious young sheikh in Alexandria, Egypt. But when he learns of Michael Jackson’s death on the radio, he becomes increasingly distracted and begins neglecting his wife and child as well as his duties at the mosque. The news of the American icon’s death triggers forgotten memories in Khaled as he reflects on his teenage love for the King of Pop. Flashbacks reveal that the young sheikh’s dysfunctional relationship with his father might have been connected to his obsession with Michael Jackson. A strange case study, by turns comical and somber, of a young man caught between two identities, Sheikh Jackson uses music to expose transnational connections.
Festivals and Awards:
Buenos Aires International Festival of Independent Cinema, Argentina, 2018
Toronto International Film Festival, Canada, 2017
London Film Festival, UK, 2017
Amr Salama is an Egyptian film director, blogger, screenwriter, and author. Born in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, he returned to Egypt where he has made several short films and commercials, and has written and directed feature-length narrative films including Excuse My French (2013) and Made in Egypt (2014). His films have garnered more than 50 awards internationally.