The Idol - NYC Premiere

*** NOTE *** This event was not created by anyone responsible for or affiliated with Lincoln Plaza Cinemas. The purpose of this event is to publicize the Mohammad Assaf biopic "The Idol" by Palestinian director Hany Abu-Assad, Oscar-nominated director of "Omar," one of the best thriller film of all time, full stop. *** Showtimes for Lincoln Plaza Cinemas *** /// Friday, 27 May 2016 /// 11:05 a.m. / 1:30 p.m. / 3:30 p.m. / 5:30 p.m. / 7:40 p.m. / 9:45 p.m. /// Saturday, 28 May ~ thru ~ Tuesday, 31 May 2016 /// 11:30 a.m. / 1:30 p.m. / 3:30 p.m. / 5:30 p.m. / 7:40 p.m. / 9:45 p.m. *** Showtimes for Angelika Film Center *** /// Friday, 27 May ~thru~ Sunday, 29 May 2016 /// 10:15 a.m. / 12:20 p.m. / 2:40 p.m. / 5:00 p.m. / 7:15 p.m. / 9:40 p.m. / 11:50 p.m. /// Monday, 30 May ~thru~ Thursday, 2 June 2016 /// 10:15 a.m. / 12:20 p.m. / 2:40 p.m. / 5:00 p.m. / 7:15 p.m. / 9:40 p.m. *** SYNOPSIS *** Gaza. Synonymous to so many with conflict, destruction and despair but to Mohammed Assaf, and his sister Nour, Gaza is their home and their playground. It’s where they, along with their best friends Ahmad and Omar, play music, football and dare to dream big. Their band might play on second hand, beaten up instruments but their ambitions are sky-high. For Mohammed and Nour, nothing less than playing the world famous Cairo Opera Hall will do. It might take them a lifetime to get there but, as Mohammed will find out, some dreams are worth living for. Along the way, Mohammed will experience tragedy and loss. The world around him will shatter. Through it all, however, he will somehow retain the hope that his voice will somehow deliver him from the pain that surrounds him and bring joy to others. He sings at weddings, he drives a taxi to pay for his university studies. Even as the siege around Gaza intensifies, the prison around them ever more forbidding, Mohammed knows he has a rare gift. To make people smile and forget their troubles. And so, in front of him on TV one evening lies an impossible dream: the auditions for Arab Idol, the most popular show in the Arab world, are taking place in Cairo. The borders are closed. There is no way out. Somehow, he finds a way and makes it in front of the judges in Egypt. From there, destiny awaits, a chance to change his life and give a voiceless people the greatest feeling of all: the freedom to love, live and feel free. *** Director *** Hany Abu-Assad (Oscar nominee "Paradise Now" and "Omar") *** Writer *** Sameh Zoabi (Director of "Man Without a Cell Phone") For a full list of theaters nationwide that will be screening "The Idol," visit << http://www.adoptfilms.com/the-idol/ >> and click on the drop down for "Theaters & Showtimes."