By Variety | Created at 2026-08-06 12:05:41 | Updated at 2026-08-06 15:08:15
6 hours ago
Boutique sales company Odd Slice Films has acquired worldwide rights to documentary “Concrete Land,” the debut feature of Palestinian-Jordanian director Asmahan Bkerat, ahead of its world premiere in Locarno Film Festival‘s Semaine de la Critique.
Eight years in the making, “Concrete Land” follows one of the last Afro-Palestinian Bedouin families living on the outskirts of Amman, Jordan. As luxury villas encroach on the agricultural land they have long called home, the Najar family faces mounting pressure to abandon their traditional way of life. Forced to give up their animals and confronted with eviction, they struggle to preserve their identity while their 10-year-old daughter, Eman, navigates discrimination at school and dreams of a future that doesn’t require leaving her heritage behind.
Bkerat said, “My passion for storytelling is deeply tied to telling stories of my people. Their erasure is my erasure. I wasn’t a filmmaker before meeting the Najars. This film was born out of the threat they faced, the brutality and destruction of the land, a threat that compelled me to pick up a camera, to document what was left of it and them. I believed their beauty was too precious to be lost, their knowledge too vital to be erased. Through this film, I hope to honor their stories, to preserve their existence, the love of the land and the people who belong to it can never be extinguished.”
“Concrete Land” received support from an extensive network of international partners, including the IDFA Bertha Fund, Sundance Documentary Fund, the Jordan Film Fund, Doha Film Institute and AFAC, among others.
The producers are Bkerat and Ban Maraqa; the executive producer is Jane Mote; and the creative producer is Sam Soko.
“I have been following this film since 2021, when First Cut Lab invited me to consult on the project. It has stayed with me ever since,” said Martina Droandi, founder of Odd Slice Films. “I eventually met Asmahan in person at other pitching forums, and we kept in touch while I was building Odd Slice. I followed the film’s evolution and watched the story grow, seeing its emotional arc and intimacy deepen. ‘Concrete Land’ is a powerful reminder that urban development is never simply about buildings, it is about the people whose histories risk being erased.”
