{"id":2194,"date":"2026-06-15T14:35:59","date_gmt":"2026-06-15T14:35:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=2194"},"modified":"2026-06-15T14:35:59","modified_gmt":"2026-06-15T14:35:59","slug":"hiam-abbass-set-for-timely-dark-comedy-occupational-hazards-about-a-palestinian-family-in-jerusalem-exclusive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=2194","title":{"rendered":"Hiam Abbass Set for Timely Dark Comedy \u2018Occupational Hazards,\u2019 About a Palestinian Family in Jerusalem (EXCLUSIVE)"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<div>\n<!-- do not apply CSS styles to this element! --><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>\nHiam Abbass, who played Marcia Roy\u00a0in HBO\u2019s \u201cSuccession,\u201d\u00a0will soon be on the big screen in the politically-charged dark comedy \u201cOccupational Hazards,\u201d about a Palestinian family in Jerusalem contending with the risk of forced displacement.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=2192\">\u2018KPop Demon Hunters\u2019: Lego Releases New Sets Inspired by Derpy and Sussie Bird<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\nBassel Ghandour (\u201cTheeb,\u201d \u201cThe Alleys\u201d) has just completed principal photography in Jordan on the timely satirical film, which takes its cue from demolition campaigns to allegedly displace Palestinian families living in East Jerusalem\u2019s historic neighborhoods.\u00a0See a first-look image above.<\/p>\n<p>\n\t\u201cOccupational Hazards\u201d features an ensemble cast that, besides a blonde-haired Abbass, also includes Lebanon\u2019s Yumna Marwan (\u201cThe Veil\u201d); the Jerusalem-based Palestinian rapper known as Daboor; Palestinian actor Nabil Al Raee (\u201cThe Teacher,\u201d \u201c200 Meters\u201d), and newcomer Wardi Eilabouni, who debuted with a small role in Annemarie Jacir\u2019s \u201cPalestine 36.\u201d\u00a0The film also features U.S. comedy podcast \u201cBad Hasbara\u201d duo Matt Lieb and Daniel Mat\u00e9, as well as Yaffa Bakri (\u201cPalestine 36\u201d), among other talents.<\/p>\n<p>\n\tAbbass\u2019 upcoming roles also comprise the comedy \u201cYour Turn, 203,\u201d in which she stars alongside Tunisian-Egyptian star Hend Sabri (\u201cFour Daughters,\u201d \u201cFinding Ola\u201d). Set in a battered Beirut, the film will be directed by Lebanese filmmaker Cynthia Sawma.<\/p>\n<p>\n\t\u201cOccupational Hazards,\u201d which was written by Ghandour, follows the Al-Qassabis, a \u201cloud, loving and slightly dysfunctional\u201d Palestinian family in Jerusalem \u201cwho are forced to fight to keep their home from crumbling \u2014 literally and figuratively \u2014 as their struggle against the system takes on wild and unorthodox forms,\u201d according to the synopsis.<\/p>\n<p>\n\tThey are contending with Israeli excavations underway in their neighborhood that are part of \u201ca so-called search for the \u2018City of David\u2019 masking a campaign of forced displacement.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\n\t\u201cThe film finds dark comedy in the impossible situation they\u2019re left in \u2014 where staying home is itself an act of defiance, and where the system\u2019s absurdity is matched only by the family\u2019s cleverness in navigating it,\u201d the synopsis goes on to note.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=2190\">\u2018ALF\u2019 Star Anne Schedeen Dies at 77; Family Remembers Her \u2018Burning Hatred for Trump\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\n\t\u201cI was immediately drawn to the story, specifically the intelligent and authentic humour, despite the harshness of the situation,\u201d Abbass said in a statement. \u201cWorking with Bassel was incredibly refreshing, especially his openness to collaborating in the artistic process of creating the character, while being in control of his subject. This film gathered an incredible group of people, cast and crew. There was a sense of fraternity; we all felt like we were a part of something special.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\n\t\u201cPalestinian stories have often been told through a lens of pain and suffering, and with good reason, there\u2019s plenty of both,\u201d said director Ghandour. \u201cBut with \u2018Occupational Hazards,\u2019 we hope to offer something different: to break away from the dramas that have traditionally shaped the canon of Palestinian cinema.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\n\t\u201cOccupational Hazards\u201d is being produced by Jordan\u2019s Rula Nasser through her Imaginarium Films shingle. The film\u2019s development was supported by the U.K.\u2019s BFI and producer Charlotte Knowles. The film\u2019s production received backing from Saudi Arabia\u2019s Red Sea Film Fund, Qatar\u2019s Doha Film Institute, Qatar Media, the Arab Fund for Arts and Culture (AFAC) and the Jordan Film Fund.<\/p>\n<p>\n\tGhandour is a Jordanian filmmaker best known as co-writer and producer of the acclaimed Bedouin Wesstern \u201cTheeb\u201d (2014), directed by Naji Abu Nowar, which scored an Academy Award nomination for best international film and won a BAFTA prize. Ghandour made his directorial debut with gritty crime drama \u201cThe Alleys,\u201d set in the backstreets of Amman ,that premiered in 2021 on the Piazza Grande at the Locarno Film Festival before traveling widely on the festival circuit. He then directed \u201cChasing Dreams,\u201d a doc series following Syrian refugee soccer players recruited to play professionally in Brazil.<\/p>\n<p>\n\tDistribution and festival premiere plans for \u201cOccupational Hazards\u201d are still in flux.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=2188\">\u2018We\u2019re Sisters From Another Mother\u2019: Jamie Lee Curtis and Mariska Hargitay on Their Deep Hollywood Bond and \u2018Law &amp; Order: SVU\u2019 Finally Being Run by a Woman After 26 Years<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Hiam Abbass is set to appear in the politically timely dark comedy &#8216;Occupational Hazards,&#8217; about a Palestinian family struggling in Jerusalem.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2193,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[1863,1864,1231],"class_list":["post-2194","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-film","tag-bassel-ghandour","tag-hiam-abbass","tag-jordanian-royal-film-commission"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - 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