International Film Festival of Ottawa

You Will Die at 20 (with Shooting Star)

Expired March 20, 2021 7:00 AM
Already unlocked? for access
This short and feature film are each eligible for the IFFO Public Prize! Unlock to add your vote.
Protected ContentThis content can only be viewed in authorized regions: Canada.

You Will Die at 20 (Feature Film): Shortly after Muzamil was born, the village's holy man predicts that he will die at age 20. Muzamil's father can't stand the curse and leaves home. Sakina raises her son as a single mother, overly protective. One day, Muzamil turns 19.


Shooting Star (Short Film): On a family trip to observe the shooting stars, Chloé, a withdrawn teenager, discovers a dazzling attraction for her mother’s new boyfriend.


About the Pairing:

Embedded in two completely different places and cultures, both You Will Die at Twenty and Shooting Star offer their own fresh perspectives on the conventional coming-of-age story, centred on characters whose journeys to adulthood are burdened by complicated relationships with their respective mothers.


But while Muzamil yearns to discover what his future holds beyond the shadow of a mother already mourning his premature death, Chloé has already been forced into the role of the adult in her relationship with her dysfunctional mother, a dynamic that threatens to implode as the teen begins exploring her sexuality.


- Devin Hartley

Shortly after Muzamil was born, the village's holy man predicts that he will die at age 20. Muzamil's father can't stand the curse and leaves home. Sakina raises her son as a single mother, overly protective. One day, Muzamil turns 19.


Content warning: brief violence

  • Year
    2019
  • Runtime
    103 minutes
  • Language
    Arabic (English subtitles)
  • Country
    Sudan, France, Egypt, Germany, Norway, Qatar
  • Director
    Amjad Abu Alala
  • Screenwriter
    Amjad Abu Alala, Yousef Ibrahim
  • Producer
    Arnaud Dommerc, Michael Henrichs, Ingrid Lill Høgtun,
  • Executive Producer
    Hossam Elouan
  • Co-Producer
    Mohammed Alomd'a, Sherif Fathy, Mohamed Hefzy, Marie Fuglestein Lægreid, Linda Bolstad Strønen
  • Cast
    Islam Mubarak, Mustafa Shehata, Moatasem Rashed, Bonna Khalid, Talal Afifi
  • Cinematographer
    Sébastien Goepfert
  • Editor
    Heba Othman
  • Sound Design
    Rana Eid
  • Music
    Amin Bouhafa