Egyptian filmmaker Mohamed Rashad’s acclaimed workplace drama The Settlement has been selected as the opening film of the 13th Tripoli Film Festival in Lebanon, adding another major international festival appearance to the film’s growing global run.
The 13th edition of the Tripoli Film Festival is scheduled to take place in Tripoli from September 17 to 23, 2026. This year’s festival will be held under the theme “Cinema as an Act of Resilience”, with a programme highlighting independent cinema, emerging filmmakers and cultural exchange. The festival has also introduced the Arab Shorts Pitching Platform as part of its industry programme.
Also known by its Arabic title, Al Mosta’mera, The Settlement marks Rashad’s debut narrative feature. The 2025 film premiered internationally in the Perspectives section of the 75th Berlin International Film Festival, where it was the only Egyptian title selected.
Set in Alexandria, the film follows 23-year-old Hossam and his 12-year-old younger brother, Maro, following the death of their father in a workplace accident at a local factory.
Rather than pursuing legal action, the family is offered employment at the factory as compensation. With responsibility for supporting his mother and younger brother falling on him, Hossam accepts the arrangement. However, his new position soon forces him to question the circumstances surrounding his father’s death and whether the incident was truly accidental.
Inspired by real events, the film explores workplace safety, labour conditions and the unequal power dynamics between factory management and working-class families.
Rashad has previously explained that the story was inspired by an account involving a law graduate whose father died at a construction site, after which the family was reportedly pressured to surrender its legal rights in exchange for employment.
The filmmaker’s own family history also influenced the project, with his father having spent more than four decades working in textile factories.
The film stars Adham Shukry as Hossam and Zeyad Islam as Maro, alongside Emad Ghoniem, Hanady Abdelkhalek, Mohamed Abdelhady and Hajar Omar.
Rashad wrote and directed the film, with Mahmoud Lotfi serving as cinematographer, Heba Othman as editor and Mohamed Salah overseeing sound. The score was composed by Tony Overwater.
Produced by Hala Lotfy, The Settlement is a five-country co-production involving Egypt, France, Germany, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. Hassala Films, Caractères Productions, Seera Films GmbH, and ART produced the film, with MAD World handling international sales and MAD Distribution overseeing distribution across the Arab world.
