Hefzy’s Hajjan Highlights Cross-Border Collaboration at LA Arab Film Festival

LOS ANGELES — The third annual Hollywood Arab Film Festival opened this week, showcasing the best Arab films from 2024, an international media report said. The festival, which ran through April 21, attracted a large audience, including Tunisian actor Dhaffer L’Abidine, Egyptian producer Tarek El-Ganainy, celebrated Egyptian actress Elham Shahin, and Egyptian producer and screenwriter Mohamed Hefzy.

The festival not only gave fans the opportunity to see these films in theaters but also introduced new audiences to talented actors from across the Arab world. During the event, Hefzy highlighted the importance of Arab cinema in expressing the diverse narratives and identities of the region.

“Arab cinema really needs a platform to tell our stories and to show who we are — our identity, our hopes and dreams, our pains. Many of the social topics tackled in these films are more relevant today than ever. So I think it’s a great opportunity to have this dialogue,” Hefzy said.

Among the featured films was Hefzy’s own production, Hajjan, a Saudi Arabia-based story directed by Egyptian filmmaker Abu Bakr Shawky. Hajjan follows a young boy who forms a deep bond with his camel and is forced to become a camel jockey after a tragic accident involving his brother.

Co-produced by Saudi Arabia’s King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra) and Hefzy’s Film Clinic, the film reflects the collaborative spirit between nations. Hefzy said, “It was a film made in Saudi Arabia with Saudi talents and actors, an Egyptian director, a Saudi co-writer, and shot mostly in Saudi Arabia. It was a great experience, and I learned a lot about Saudi Arabia and its culture.”