The Cinematheque

Luxembourg

“A thoughtful comedy that allows Assal’s creativity to shine through.”

Guilhem Caillard, Cineuropa

Racial profiling and bureaucratic ineptitude are lampooned aplenty in Adolf El Assal’s rollicking misadventure about an Egyptian DJ detained in Luxembourg, co-written by Dennis Foon (Indian Horse). Turntable phenom Samir (Karim Kassem) just won a major DJ competition in Cairo, clinching his invitation to a prestigious ​“Needle Drop” championship in Brussels. Boarding a plane for Belgium, Samir is dumbfounded when his flight is rerouted to, um, the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, a country he’s never heard of! Dominoing misfortunes land Samir in the hands of the bumbling authorities, who label him an illegal immigrant and ground him indefinitely. Director Adolf El Assal, a former DJ of Egyptian descent, deserves kudos for coaxing comedy out of undoubtedly personal (and decidedly unfunny) experiences. Luxembourger beatmaker Eric ​“Cehashi” Bintz scores.