Netflix has just announced the official release date for the eagerly anticipated, The Sand Castle, which premieres on January 24, 2025.
The mystery-thriller film followers a family of four who find themselves stuck on, what appears to be, a picturesque island, only to find that behind the façade lies a shocking secret. What begins as fun quickly turns sour, a truth the family struggles to keep from young Jana. As fiction and reality blur, the family members are forced to test their resilience in hopes of returning home.
Directed by Emmy-Nominee, Matty Brown, who will be making his directorial debut, the cast is led by actor and filmmaker, Nadine Labaki, Zain Al Rafeea and his sister Riman Al Rafeea, and Palestinian actor, Ziad Bakri.
Lebanese actress, Nadine Labaki, burst onto the international film scene in 2007 with her film Caramel, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. She then made history in 2018 by being the first Arab female director to be nominated for an Oscar with her feature Capernaum, which was selected for the best foreign film category.
Matty Brown co-wrote The Sand Castle alongside Jordanian Yassmina Kharajah and Eygptian-Qatari writer-director, Hend Fakhroo. The film is expected to potentially premiere at the upcoming Red Sea Film Festival, held in Saudi Arabia later this year.
Considering the colour palette and the image above, one can’t help but feel a clear nod to Wes Anderson, specifically Moonrise Kingdom (2012), although the frame in question was inspired by Alex Colville’s 1965 painting, To Prince Edward Island. One can’t help but smile with relief, as these clear homage references are a sign that filmmakers are still doing their homework on the artists that have come before them.
Stay tuned for more updates.