Happy Holidays (film)

Happy Holidays
Arabic	ينعاد عليكو
Directed by	Scandar Copti
Written by	Scandar Copti
Produced by	Tony Copti Jiries Copti Dorothe Beinemeier Jean Bréhat Marco Valerio Fusco Micaela Fusco
Starring	Manar Shehab Toufic Danial Shani Dahari Meirav Memoresky Imad Hourani Wafaa Aoun Sophie Awaada Raed Burbara
Cinematography	Tim Kuhn
Edited by	Scandar Copti
Music by	Pascal Lemercier
Production companies	Fresco Films Red Balloon Film Tessalit Productions Intramovies
Release date	4 September 2024 (2024-09-04) (Venice)
Running time	123 minutes
Countries	Palestine Germany France Italy Qatar
Languages	Arabic Hebrew

Happy Holidays (Arabic: ينعاد عليكو, romanized: Yin'Ād Aliku, lit. 'May God Bless You') is a 2024 Palestinian family drama film written and directed by Scandar Copti. It premiered at the 81st Venice International Film Festival on 4 September 2024, where it won the Orizzonti Award for Best Screenplay.

Cast

• Manar Shehab as Fifi
• Toufic Danial as Rami
• Shani Dahari as Shirley, Rami's girlfriend
• Meirav Memoresky as Miri, Shirley's sister
• Imad Hourani as Fouad, Fifi and Rami's father
• Wafaa Aoun as Hanan, Fifi and Rami's mother
• Sophie Awaada as Leila, Fifi and Rami's sister
• Raed Burbara as Walid, Fifi's lover

Production

The cast is comprised entirely of non-professional actors. Writer and director Scandar Copti stated, "They're real people that come from the professional background of the characters that they portray. For example, Miri (Meirav Memoresky) is a real nurse, and Walid (Raed Burbara) is a real doctor."

In his acceptance speech for the Orizzonti Award for Best Screenplay, Copti stated, "I stand here deeply honored, yet profoundly affected by the difficult times we're living through over the past 11 months, our shared humanity and moral compass have been tested as we witness the ongoing genocide in Gaza. This painful reality reminds us of the devastating consequences of oppression, which is a theme in our film. Our film looks at how moral narratives can bring us together as communities, but also blind us to the suffering of others."

Release

Indie Sales acquired the distribution rights to the film in February 2024. The film premiered at the 81st Venice International Film Festival on 4 September 2024 as part of the Orizzonti competition.

Reception

Lovia Gyarkye of The Hollywood Reporter called the film "a cleverly structured Palestinian drama" that "explores constriction and complicity in Israeli society".

Siddhant Adlakha of Variety called the film "a lively, naturalistic ensemble piece" and "a dynamic Palestinian family drama".

Olivia Popp of Cineuropa wrote, "Palestinian filmmaker Scandar Copti makes effective use of an ensemble cast in this portrait of contemporary family life in Israel, replete with its many intricacies".

Clotilde Chinnici of Loud and Clear Reviews gave the film three out of five stars and called it "a culturally necessary film that encourages us to question the status quo and be open to changing it".

Mina Takla of AwardsWatch gave the film a grade of B, stating that it "does not disappoint". She further wrote, "Boasting one of the year's most thoughtful and potent screenplays full of timely themes and rich characterization, the film is certain to find further appreciation as it continues its festival run."

Accolades

Award	Date of ceremony	Category	Recipient(s)	Result	Ref.
Venice Film Festival	7 September 2024	Orizzonti Award for Best Film	Happy Holidays	Nominated
		Orizzonti Award for Best Screenplay	Scandar Copti	Won
Thessaloniki International Film Festival	10 November 2024	Golden Alexander	Happy Holidays	Won

External links

• Happy Holidays at IMDb