Screened as part of NZIFF 2012

My Brother the Devil 2012

Directed by Sally El Hosaini

“Welsh-Egyptian Sally El Hosaini brings sensitivity, distinctive identity and an invigorating adrenaline charge to a story of criminally inclined East London youth in her dynamic first feature.” — Hollywood Reporter

UK In English
111 minutes CinemaScope / HDCAM

Director

Screenplay

Sally El Hosaini

Producers

Gayle Griffiths
,
Julia Godzinskaya
,
Michael Sackler

Photography

David Raedeker

Editor

Iain Kitching

Production designer

Stéphane Collonge

Costume designer

Rob Nicholls

Music

Stuart Earl

With

James Floyd (Rashid)
,
Fady Elsayed (Mo)
,
Saïd Taghmaoui (Sayyid)
,
Aymen Hamdouchi (Repo)
,
Ashley Bashy Thomas (Lenny)
,
Anthony Welsh (Izzi)
,
Arnold Oceng (Aj)
,
Letitia Wright (Aisha)
,
Amira Ghazalla (Hanan)

Festivals

Sundance, Berlin 2012

Elsewhere

There’s a distinct sensitivity to Sally El Hosaini’s tale of gangsta brothers that she attributes in part to her gender: it’s easier to delve behind the macho fronts when you’re not presenting one of your own.

“Welsh-Egyptian Sally El Hosaini’s crackling debut feature slyly deceives us into believing it’s a familiar street-gang story of fraternal bonds destined to be broken by crime. But midway through this propulsive, stylishly shot drama set in an East London ‘hood, sexual awakening rears its head. That adds entirely fresh layers to the film’s exploration of codes of masculinity, cultural roots and environmental conditioning… While on the surface, this is a variation on boyz-in-the-‘hood dramatic staples, the film is rooted in anglicized Arab culture yet universally accessible in its reflections on identity issues. It’s a very promising debut – slick, muscular, entertaining and emotionally satisfying.” — David Rooney, Hollywood Reporter