Middle Eastern humour

Josef Fares is the man with the master plan that added that little something special and extra into the Swedish movie screens. He is originally Assyrian, born in Beirut in 1977, and moved to Sweden when he was only ten years old.
Being in the spotlight is a commonplace for the Fares family. Both Josef's brother Fares Fares, and his father Jan Fares, are actors. Even Josef himself is an accomplished screenwriter and director.

Josef has always desired to make films, casting his father and the great actor Torkel Petersson. So recently, he put his thoughts in to action. His latest movie is called "Farsan," which means "father" in Swedish. And who better to play the leading role as the father than Jan Fares himself? The movie title foreshadows the core of the story, as a biographical tribute about his father. The movie is due to premiere in Swedish theatres in February.

The thing that really stands out in Fares movies is his sense of humour. This in several ways is typical Middle Eastern humor. It´s honest, its fun, and the best way to describe it is as "thinking-out loud humour." He brings to the forefront subjects like arranged marriages, Arabic family and food culture, the overprotective father, and last but not least, the historically vast clash of cultures.

Bringing these sensitive and complex subjects to the Swedish big screens became an instant hit and had a viral effect; spreading like wildfire through the Arabic and Swedish communities. When the movie “Jalla Jalla” came out in 2000, subjects like arranged marriages where no longer taboo.

There is no doubt that Josef Fares has an extraordinary talent to bring out the very best of two cultures and combine them through his spellbinding and brilliant sense of humour!