A New Day in Old Sana'a
A New Day in Old Sana'a is a 2005 romantic drama film directed by Bader Ben Hirsi, who is a British writer with Yemeni roots, and produced by Ahmed Abdali. Shot in Sana'a, Yemen, it was promoted as the first Yemeni film shown at the Cannes Film Festival. The 86-minute movie is available in English and Arabic with English subtitles. The story is told through Italian photographer Federico and his friend Tariq, who is about to marry Bilquis, the daughter of a rich judge. One night Tariq sees a woman he thinks is Bilquis and falls in love with her, only to discover she is Ines, a naghsh (henna) artist. Tariq must choose between Bilquis and Ines. The film ends with a shot of a jinn, played by Hirsi. It was also shown at the Cairo International Film Festival, where Hirsi received a prize from the Egyptian Ministry of Culture.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 18:53 (CET).