Dutch-Egyptian writer and director Ashgan El-Hamus’s debut feature AL BARANEYA enjoyed a successful World Premiere on September 3, 2026, as part of Giornate degli Autori (Venice Days) at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival. The premiere was attended by El-Hamus, producer Frank Hoeve, and lead actress Reem Amer. The film screened at 11:00 AM at Sala Perla, followed by a Q&A with the filmmakers, following its press and industry presentation on September 2 at Sala Corinto.
 
Produced by Frank Hoeve through Amsterdam-based BALDR Film and starring Egyptian actress Reem Amer, AL BARANEYA brings an intimate family story to the rural Egyptian landscape, exploring the ties between land, identity, family, and the possibility of change.
 
At the center of the story is Amal, a pregnant woman living with her family in the village of Al Baraneya outside Cairo. Their familiar rhythm of family life is disrupted when they receive an offer to sell their land. As the prospect divides the family and forces them to reconsider the future, Amal begins to question the path she has always assumed was hers. The arrival of her cousin Rania from Cairo introduces another possibility, as Rania brings stories of urban life, independence, and social media that gradually make Amal look beyond the boundaries of the village.
 
El-Hamus made the distinctive choice to cast members of her own family, bringing their existing relationships and familiarity to the screen. Reem Amer, who plays Amal, is the film’s sole professional actor.
 
AL BARANEYA is a Dutch-Egyptian-Belgian-Saudi co-production produced by Frank Hoeve for BALDR Film, with Kesmat Elsayed for Seera Films and Eurydice Gysel for CZAR Film as co-producers. The film received support from the Netherlands Film Fund, CoBO, the Belgian Tax Shelter, BNP Paribas Fortis Film Finance, the Creative Europe MEDIA Programme of the European Union, and the Red Sea Fund, and was produced in collaboration with KRO-NCRV, MAD World handles the film’s worldwide sales.
 
Written by Ashgan El-Hamus and Roelof-Jan Minneboo, AL BARANEYA is El-Hamus’s first feature-length narrative film, following her acclaimed short BIRDLAND (2020), winner of the Grand Prix de la Ville de Brest at the European Short Film Festival Brest, and her mid-length film LOIS LANE (2021), produced as part of the Dutch anthology series Onze Straat.