Annemarie Jacir's film Wajib (An Obligation, 2017) is Palestine's selection in the foreign language films category at the 90th Academy Awards scheduled to take place in March 2018. Wajib is a family drama about community ties and local traditions centred on the story of a father and his estranged son who must come together to hand deliver his daughter's wedding invitations to each guest as per local Palestinian custom. The film stars Palestinian actor and director Mohammad Bakri and his real-life son, Saleh Bakri, the Palestinian theatre and film actor. This is the third time that a film by Palestinian director Annemarie Jacir is selected to vie for the Best Foreign Language Film Award at the Oscars. Her previous two films to be nominated were Salt of this Sea (2008) and When I Saw You (2012). However, neither of them made it to the final selection made by the Academy. Since 2002, Palestine has presented its selection to the awards on several occasions and made it to the final nomination by the Academy twice, with Paradise Now by Hany Abu-Assad in 2006, followed by Omar by the same director in 2013. The final nominations for the Best Foreign Language Film Award will be announced 23 January 2018, with the 90th Academy Awards ceremony to take place 4 March 2018. For more arts and culture news and updates, follow Ahram Online Arts and Culture on Twitter at @AhramOnlineArts and on Facebook at Ahram Online: Arts & Culture
