Sam Kadi's THE CITIZEN to Have International Premiere at the 6th Annual Abu Dhabi Film Festival

Related: THE CITIZEN

3K Pictures announces today that director Sam Kadi's debut drama THE CITIZEN will have its International Premiere at the Abu Dhabi Film Festival in Abu Dhabi on October 14^th at 9:30pm at the Emirates Palace Theater. The film was produced by Kadi, Chris Wyatt (NAPOLEON DYNAMITE) and Alan Noel Vega, with Ameer Kabour executive producing. Presented each October, the Abu Dhabi Film Festival is committed to screening exceptional films to engage and educate the local community, inspire filmmakers and nurture the growth of the regional film industry. With its commitment to presenting works by Arab filmmakers in competition alongside those by major talents of world cinema, the Festival offers Abu Dhabi's diverse and enthusiastic audiences a means of engaging with their own and others' cultures through the art of cinema. This year the festival runs from October 11^th-20^th.

THE CITIZEN tells the story of an Arab immigrant named Ibrahim (played by celebrated Egyptian actor Khaled Nabawy from FAIR GAME) who wins the American green card lottery, arriving in New York City on September 10th, 2001. In addition to Nabawy, the film's cast includes Agnes Bruckner (BLOOD AND CHOCOLATE), William Atherton (GHOSTBUSTERS) and Cary Elwes (THE PRINCESS BRIDE).

The script took over three years to write and was co-written by the noted Arab American playwright Samir Younis (BROWNTOWN). Younis was living and working in New York on 9/11, and brought his experiences about the aftermath of that event to bear on the script.

Additionally, THE CITIZEN will be an Official Selection at this year's Hollywood Film Festival, also in October. The festival, which starts October 18th, encompasses five days of screenings at ArcLight Cinemas Hollywood and culminates with the prestigious Hollywood Film Awards Gala on October 22nd.

THE CITIZEN recently won the Best Ensemble Cast Award and the Mass Impact Award at the 28^th Boston Film Festival. To see the trailer, and for additional information about the film, please visit THE CITIZEN website:
www.thecitizenmovie.com

Also follow the film on Faceboock and Twitter:
facebook.com/TheCitizenMovie
Twitter.com/TheCitizenMovie

About Sam Kadi:

Born and raised in Syria, Kadi attended the College of Engineering at the University of Aleppo where he founded the Marya Halab Theater Company. After seven years of theater, he moved to the U.S. in 2000 to pursue a career in the arts and eventually attended the Motion Picture Institute of Michigan, which he graduated from in 2007. Kadi made several short films including the eight-time festival winner RAISED ALONE. THE CITIZEN is Kadi's feature film debut. Kadi was recently recognized by the prestigious foundation Cinema for Peace for raising awareness for human rights issues through film, and was invited to speak before the International Criminal Court at The Hague, The Netherlands on June 16, 2012. Kadi has been featured on numerous international and national television and radio programs including CNN, ART, and NPR.