Sarah Gadon & Waleed Zuaiter Star In Sci-Fi ‘Alien Boy’
EXCLUSIVE: Sci-fi coming-of-age film Alien Boy has wrapped filming in Canada with cast led by Waleed Zuaiter (The Girlfriend), Sarah Gadon (Alias Grace) and Teym Joseph (House of David).
Fawaz Al-Matrouk, an alumnus of the Sundance Institute’s Feature Film Program and USC’s School of Cinematic Arts, makes his feature debut and recently wrapped production in Saskatchewan following a July shoot.
The film follows Farouk (Zuaiter), “a refugee struggling to settle into his new home, as his nine-year-old son Hadi (Joseph) becomes convinced he is being targeted by UFOs. As Hadi’s isolation deepens, a compassionate teacher, Ellen Connolly (Gadon), grows increasingly concerned and helps him navigate the pain and displacement he cannot yet articulate.”
Cast also includes makeup artist and influencer Bibi Alabdulmohsen and newcomer Iylah Brown. The film is based on Al-Matrouk’s short story of the same name. Above is a first look image.
Anand Ramayya and Kelly Balon are producing. Jaclyne Bohn is line producer. Executive producers for the film include Kyle Castellanet, Mary Jane Skalski, Christina Piovesan, David Cormican, Waleed Zuaiter and Joana Zuaiter, and Andrew Frank and Jonathan Wyman on behalf of Mongrel Media, which will distribute in Canada.
The film is being produced by KarmaFilm, in association with Echo Lake Entertainment, FlipNarrative, House Copper Studios and Screen Wizards Pictures, with the financial participation of Telefilm Canada and Creative Saskatchewan. The film’s script development was supported by Cinephilia and the Whistler Film Festival Screenwriters Lab.
Arriving around the 36th anniversary of the First Gulf War, the project is said to carry a personal resonance for Kuwaiti native Al-Matrouk whose family moved to Canada following the conflict.
“Alien Boy is a personal story told through science fiction. I love science fiction as a way to connect people across time and space. Before I knew a word of English, I knew a little alien called ET. Alien Boy is about war, displacement, and childhood trauma, but ultimately for me, it’s about human connection,” said Al-Matrouk.
“Since founding FlipNarrative, Joana, Shaun, and I have read countless stories, but ALIEN BOY immediately stood apart. Through the lens of science fiction, Fawaz has created a story that finds wonder, hope, and imagination amid the trauma of displacement. It’s something that resonated deeply with us as refugees ourselves, with roots in both Palestine and Kuwait. From the moment we read the script and met Fawaz, we knew this was a story we had to help bring to life,” said Zuaiter.
“Alien Boy is the kind of bold, emotional genre filmmaking that feels both intimate and expansive. Fawaz has made a film about family, loss, and the terror of the unknown, anchored by extraordinary performances from Waleed, Sarah, and Teym,” said producer Anand Ramayya.
Al-Matrouk’s shorts have screened at Cannes, Dubai and Clermont-Ferrand.
