Very Big Shot
Spring Grant 2015
Mir-Jean Bou Chaaya / Feature Narrative / Lebanon, Qatar / 2015 / 108 min / Colour / Original Language: Arabic, English, French / Interests: Action, Comedy, Drama, Thriller, Youth, Based on a True Story
Synopsis
In this clever take on the caper film, three brothers find themselves inextricably bound up in the Beirut underworld. While Jad has been serving five years behind bars for a crime his elder brother Ziad committed, Ziad and Joe have been moving product for a local drug lord. In light of Jad’s imminent release, Ziad has decided it’s time the trio went straight, so he agrees to run one last shipment to Syria before retiring from his life of crime – but when things in Syria spin violently out of control, the brothers find themselves in possession of a vast quantity of amphetamines with an astronomical street value. Enlisting the aid of an eager but hilariously manipulable filmmaker, Ziad hatches a plan to make a movie – a front to ship the drugs to Erbil – so the brothers can live happily ever after on the profits. Aggressive, controlling and verging on sociopathic, Ziad relentlessly – and very publicly – pushes his agenda forward, until eventually he discovers there are forces more powerful than he. Bold and astute, ‘Very Big Shot’ is a tightly wound and profoundly insightful dark comedy that skewers political corruption and the media circus that goes with it.
Credits
- Director
- Mir-Jean Bou Chaaya
- Screenwriter
- Mir-Jean Bou Chaaya, Alain Saadeh
- Producer
- Lucien Bou Chaaya, Christian Bou Chaaya, Mir-Jean Bou Chaaya
- Executive Producer
- Christian Bou Chaaya
- Production Company
- Kabreet Productions
- Production Company
- Kabreet Productions
About the Director
Born in Beirut in 1989, Mir-Jean Bou Chaaya obtained his Master’s degree in Cinema with high distinction from the Académie Libanaise des Beaux-Arts in 2012. He started his career in 2008 with a music video dedicated to Lebanese army martyrs, and has written, directed or edited eight short films, five of which were aired on local television and two of which won several awards at acclaimed international film festivals. He also directed a 12-episode television series and wrote 10 short documentaries profiling Arab immigrants in Argentina. In 2013, Bou Chaaya co-founded SuppAr – The Arab Art Support Group, which aims to produce high-calibre motion pictures and fine art in the region.
Awards and Festival History
Festivals
Toronto International Film Festival 2015 (WP)
BFI London Film Festival 2015
Ajyal Youth Film Festival 2015
Thessaloniki International Film Festival 2015
Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival 2015
Festival Internacional de Cine en Guadalajara 2016
Göteb
Lebanon's Official Submission for the 2017 Academy Awards - Best Foreign Language Film Race
Lebanese Ministry of Culture Award
Golden Star, Marrakech International Film Festival 2015
Contacts
-
Director
Mir-Jean Bou Chaaya
- Company:
- Kabreet Productions
-
Main Contact
Lucien Bou Chaaya
- Company:
- Kabreet Productions
- Email:
- lucien@kabreetproductions.com
-
Main Contact
Pamela Leu
- Company:
- Be For Films
- Phone:
- +33 6 14 34 37 55
- Email:
- pamela@beforfilms.com