The film was among the Arab films that garnered international acclaim last year, especially that it was praised by top news websites like The New York Times, Boston Herald, Los Angeles Times, The New Yorker, Variety, to name a few.
Many good reviews were written lately about the film. “ The interrogation scene between Huda and Hasan lasts for the entirety of the film, and it's masterfully done (both written and performed),” mentioned Roger Ebert.
“ It offers a satisfying dramatic snap while bequeathing a more lasting anxiety,” wrote Anthony Lane in The New Yorker. “Thanks to filmmaker Hany Abu-Assad, this long-underserved sub-genre - once perfected by directors like Hitchcock, Pakula, and Weir - feels briefly resurrected thanks to his new picture Huda’s Salon,” wrote Dan Mecca in The Film Stage.“
Nearly every scene takes the form of a single unbroken shot, a technique that sometimes pulls you in and sometimes merely calls attention to its own virtuosity,” wrote Justin Chang via Los Angeles Times.
Recently, Huda’s Salon opened Reel Palestine Film Festival UAE and landed its Arab world premiere at Red Sea International Film Festival.
Huda’s Salon received wide critical acclaim upon its premiere at Toronto International Film Festival.
“Huda’s Salon recalls Hollywood mysteries from the 1940s in both its brisk pace and disarmingly simple style,” mentioned The Film Stage It was also described as “an emotional rollercoaster, in the best way imaginable…
This film is a masterpiece — you can't miss it” by Alisha Mughal, via Exclaim!, “This is a return to form and to more familiar territory for Abu-Assad” by Wendy Ide, via Screen Daily, and “Huda’s Salon” doesn’t waste a second… zooming from easy chatter to absolutely horrifying drama” by Kate Erbland, via Indie Wire.
Based on real events, Huda’s Salon is a heart-racing, entertaining feminist thriller, where two women fight for their freedom.
Reem, a young mother who is married to a jealous man, goes to Huda's salon in Bethlehem for a haircut and an attentive ear.
However, this ordinary visit turns sour after Huda puts Reem in a shameful situation, blackmails her to work for the secret service of the occupiers, hence betraying her people.
Written and directed by Hany Abu-Assad, Huda’s Salon stars Ali Suliman, Manal Awad and Maisa Abd Elhadi. The film is produced by H&A Production (Hany Abu-Assad and Amira Diab), Film Clinic (Mohamed Hefzy) and co- produced by MAD Solutions (Maher Diab and Alaa Karkouti),and Lagoonie Film Production (Shahinaz El Akkad), while Daniel Ziskind of Film Clinic is the film’s co-producer.
The film is also co-produced by Key Films, Cocoon and Philistine Films. MEMENTO INTERNATIONAL handles worldwide distribution, while MAD Solutions and Lagoonie Film Production handle the film’s distribution across the Arab world.
Palestinian screenwriter and director Hany Abu-Assad is one of the most eminent Arab directors.
His filmography includes several exceptional Arab films that gained exceptional international recognition, such as Paradise Now (2005), which was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film and won a Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film, and the film Omar (2013) that also received a nomination for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.
In 2017, Abu-Assad directed The Mountain Between Us, starring Kate Winslet and Idris Elba, which opened the 39th edition of Cairo International Film Festival (CIFF).
Huda’s Salon is his latest feature film.
