Hiam Abbass Set for Timely Dark Comedy ‘Occupational Hazards,’ About a Palestinian Family in Jerusalem (EXCLUSIVE)

Hiam Abbass, who played Marcia Roy in HBO’s “Succession,” will soon be on the big screen in the politically-charged dark comedy “Occupational Hazards,” about a Palestinian family in Jerusalem contending with the risk of forced displacement.

Bassel Ghandour (“Theeb,” “The Alleys”) 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’s historic neighborhoods. See a first-look image above.

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“Occupational Hazards” features an ensemble cast that, besides a blonde-haired Abbass, also includes Lebanon’s Yumna Marwan (“The Veil”); the Jerusalem-based Palestinian rapper known as Daboor; Palestinian actor Nabil Al Raee (“The Teacher,” “200 Meters”), and newcomer Wardi Eilabouni, who debuted with a small role in Annemarie Jacir’s “Palestine 36.” The film also features U.S. comedy podcast “Bad Hasbara” duo Matt Lieb and Daniel Maté, as well as Yaffa Bakri (“Palestine 36”), among other talents.

Abbass’ upcoming roles also comprise the comedy “Your Turn, 203,” in which she stars alongside Tunisian-Egyptian star Hend Sabri (“Four Daughters,” “Finding Ola”). Set in a battered Beirut, the film will be directed by Lebanese filmmaker Cynthia Sawma.

“Occupational Hazards,” which was written by Ghandour, follows the Al-Qassabis, a “loud, loving and slightly dysfunctional” Palestinian family in Jerusalem “who are forced to fight to keep their home from crumbling — literally and figuratively — as their struggle against the system takes on wild and unorthodox forms,” according to the synopsis.

They are contending with Israeli excavations underway in their neighborhood that are part of “a so-called search for the ‘City of David’ masking a campaign of forced displacement.”

“The film finds dark comedy in the impossible situation they’re left in — where staying home is itself an act of defiance, and where the system’s absurdity is matched only by the family’s cleverness in navigating it,” the synopsis goes on to note.

“I was immediately drawn to the story, specifically the intelligent and authentic humour, despite the harshness of the situation,” Abbass said in a statement. “Working 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.”

“Palestinian stories have often been told through a lens of pain and suffering, and with good reason, there’s plenty of both,” said director Ghandour. “But with ‘Occupational Hazards,’ we hope to offer something different: to break away from the dramas that have traditionally shaped the canon of Palestinian cinema.”

“Occupational Hazards” is being produced by Jordan’s Rula Nasser through her Imaginarium Films shingle. The film’s development was supported by the U.K.’s BFI and producer Charlotte Knowles. The film’s production received backing from Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea Film Fund, Qatar’s Doha Film Institute, Qatar Media, the Arab Fund for Arts and Culture (AFAC) and the Jordan Film Fund.

Ghandour is a Jordanian filmmaker best known as co-writer and producer of the acclaimed Bedouin Wesstern “Theeb” (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 “The Alleys,” 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 “Chasing Dreams,” a doc series following Syrian refugee soccer players recruited to play professionally in Brazil.

Distribution and festival premiere plans for “Occupational Hazards” are still in flux.