Ameen has as a nice post about Jordanian movies, introducing the work of Amin Matalqa, a Jordanian living in the US. I watched a couple of his movies this morning right before coming to work and believe me they are hilarious.
If you have some time to kill, then watch Saliba bil Hammam. It might be a bit challenging for non-Jordanian speakers, as it lampoons local issues that can be only understood by those who live or lived in the Kingdom.
Saliba bil Hammam starts with "Shu bitgool," which is a popular phrase used in Jordanian TV series. For those who know what I’m taking about maybe this will ring a bell: "Shi bitgool? in7arag el masna3"
Anyway, another nice movie to watch is Abu Sinno.
I can’t wait to get back home to watch the rest of his movies.
Hi Natasha and Amin……Yes you two are related and I would say very close. Both of your great grandfathers are brothers. Natasha your great grandfather is Salman Matalka and Amin’s great grandfather is Suleiman Matalka. More information on your family tree can be found on http://www.alkaradsheh.com
Hope this helps a little.
Success, happiness and prosperity to both of you as well as a merry Christmas and happy new Year.
Jack Matalka
Dear Amin,
It is so good to hear from you. I think what you are doing is very inspiring. Keep it up!
Ah, I also loved the phone greetings in your movie Saliba,”7abeebi”.Typical Jordanian!
And ah, by the way, I’m half Matalka, half Twal, so we might be related as my late grandfather was called Saliba Matalka;-)
Looking forward to seeing more of your creative work.
Regards…
Dear Natasha,
I’m happy you ran into my site and are enjoying my movies. Watch Last Call, Hold On, My First, Rendezvous, ekhras, and monologue for baby boy. Each one is different and hopefully entertaining. Bigger things to come in the future. Thanks for putting the word out there. The main address is http://www.matalqa.com so keep checking for new updates. Also one last note… “shoo bitgool, in7arag il masna3” is from our first Saliba movie. It’s not on the site anymore. I wasn’t aware it became a popular phrase in Jordan. Small world!