Experiencing Interruptions?

Before We Forget

Strangled by debt, a hard luck man takes the son he can’t support and the father who suffers from memory loss on a road trip to find a buried treasure that could solve all their problems.

  • Nawaf Al Janahi
    Director
  • Fadi Ismail
    Producer
  • Project Type:
    Feature
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 44 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    September 23, 2021
  • Country of Origin:
    Saudi Arabia
  • Country of Filming:
    United Arab Emirates
  • Language:
    Arabic
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Saudi Film Festival
    Dhahran
    Saudi Arabia
    June 4, 2022
    Golden Palm for Best Male Actor
  • Emirati Film Review
    Krakow
    Poland
    October 21, 2022
  • Emirati Film Review
    Warsaw
    Poland
    October 22, 2022
  • Meta Film Fest
    Dubai
    United Arab Emirates
    October 28, 2022
Director Biography - Nawaf Al Janahi

Nawaf Al Janahi is an actor and a film director who was born in Abu Dhabi (UAE) on 7 February 1977 to an Egyptian mother and an Emirati father. He started acting at 7, and at the age of 19 he moved to California (USA) to study the arts of cinema.

His first feature length film “The Circle” was described by film critics as “a major turning point in Emirati and Gulf cinema”. Al Janahi’s second feature film “Sea Shadow” was released in cinemas across the Arabian Gulf in 2011 and reached in the 1st week the 2nd place in the top 5 movies in UAE, the biggest cinema market in the Arab world. Later, the film went on a global tour to 27 countries, the most remarkable tour for an Emirati feature film to date.

Beside making films, Nawaf Al Janahi is also the founder of a number of initiatives such as the Emirati Cinema Campaign, Black Box Cinema, and Cineolio.

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Director Statement

The relationship between a father and a son is something rarely explored deep enough on screen, particularly in this part of the world. For different reasons, whether personal or cultural, many individuals do not express their thoughts and emotions to their sons, and vice versa. This leads only to miscommunication. Some people choose to ignore it, some discuss it, while some confront it. The strength of this unique kind of relationship is determined ultimately by our own awareness and choices. Cinema is a great universal form of expression to explore this theme, and, in our region, we certainly need more films about our fathers and sons.