In partnership with the National Museum of Asian Art

AGSIW is pleased to present a special Ramadan screening of the Saudi blockbuster film “Mandoob” (“Night Courier”). The screening will be introduced by NMAA film curator Tom Vick and followed by an audience discussion led by AGSIW Senior Resident Scholar Kristin Smith Diwan. The event will be followed by iftar bites.

Ali Kalthami’s debut feature is a darkly comedic thriller set in a surprising milieu: Saudi Arabia’s nocturnal underworld of gangsters, strugglers, and partiers. After Fahad Nassir (a riveting Mohammed Aldokhi) abruptly quits his call center day job in a rage, he struggles to make ends meet and raise money for his ailing father as a nighttime delivery driver (mandoob is Arabic for “courier”). After discovering a stash of illegal liquor, he hits upon a scheme to sell it to his upscale clients, but when the stash’s owners come after him, he finds himself in a fight for his life. This is a fascinating view of a Saudi Arabia rarely seen outside of the country.  

(Director: Ali Kalthami, Saudi Arabia, 2023, 110 min., DCP, Arabic with English subtitles) 

Film admission policy: Films are shown in the 300-seat Meyer Auditorium. Pre-registration (up to four tickets per person per film) is encouraged but not required. Seating is available on a first come, first served basis for patrons without tickets.