CAPTAIN ABU RAED

Captain Abu Raed is a universal story of friendship, inspiration and heroism set in contemporary Jordan.

Abu Raed is a lonely janitor at Amman’s International Airport. Never having realized his dreams of seeing the world, he experiences it vicariously through books and brief encounters with travellers.
Finding a discarded Captain’s hat in the trash at work one day, he is followed by a neighbourhood boy who spots him wearing it as he walks home. The next morning he wakes up to find a group of neighbourhood children at his door, believing him to be an airline pilot. And thus the friendship begins. Happy for the company and attention, he takes the children to colourful places around the world through his fictional stories and inspires them to believe in their own ambitions.
Murad, an angry outsider to the group, vindictively attacks Abu Raed and the sense of hope he instils in the children. In his quest to prove that Abu Raed is a liar and a fake, Murad begins to discover new possibilities in his life. Meanwhile, Abu Raed’s friendship with Nour, a real female pilot, begins to grow as she deals with her own set of pressures from life in modern Amman. Captain Abu Raed is the story of everyday people intersecting across social boundaries. It is a story of dreams, friendship, forgiveness, and sacrifice.

Selected Festivals:
Sundance FF - Audience Award
Seattle FF - Best Director
Dubai FF - Best Actor
Maui FF - Feature Award
Newport Beach FF - Best Actor, Best Actress
Durban FF - Best Film
Jordan's entry to the Oscar
Edinburgh IFF
AFI Dallas IFF