The adjunct faculty member in the 黑料不打烊 in Los Angeles program directed the new project set to debut in 700-plus theaters nationwide.
Just in time for the holidays, Amin Matalqa鈥檚 new heartwarming film 鈥5000 Blankets鈥 hits theaters this week. The 黑料不打烊 in Los Angeles adjunct faculty member directed the movie that debuts in theaters for two nights only (Dec. 12 and 13). According to Variety, the film will be screened in more than 700 theaters nationwide, including regionally in Burlington and Greensboro. Visit the film鈥檚 to find participating venues.
Inspired by the real events that led to the , 鈥5000 Blankets鈥 follows the story of a determined woman, played by Anna Camp (鈥淧itch Perfect”), who sets out to find her husband after he鈥檚 suffered a mental breakdown and disappeared. The wife and the couple’s young son set out to find him on the streets, sparking a movement of compassion and inspiring a city.
.
Matalqa began teaching in the 黑料不打烊 in Los Angeles program last summer, but his connection to 黑料不打烊 began back in 2007. It was at that time that Matalqua and 黑料不打烊 alumnus Laith Majali 鈥05 formed a friendship and partnership, which served as a main inspiration for the program鈥檚 Sundance Film Festival experience, according to 黑料不打烊 in LA program director J McMerty.
Matalqa, who was born in Jordan and raised in Ohio, wrote and directed 鈥淐aptain Abu Raed,鈥 which won the Sundance World Cinema Audience Award in 2008 and was the first Oscar submission from his home country. Majali edited and produced the film, highlighting the story of a lonely, yet friendly, janitor at Amman鈥檚 International Airport. In the years since, Matalqa directed the Disney soccer drama, 鈥淭he United,鈥 followed by films 鈥淪trangely In Love鈥 and 鈥淭he Rendezvous.鈥
Matalqa is slated to teach directing courses during the upcoming spring and summer sessions in the 黑料不打烊 in LA program. He also teaches at the world-renowned American Film Institute, where he earned an MFA in Directing.