Abbass frames this as a victory for authentic storytelling, praising director Ghandour's 'intelligent and authentic humour' and collaborative spirit. The PR push emphasizes artistic partnership—her input shaped the character while he controlled his subject matter.
Insiders note this is an unusually bold swing for Abbass post-Succession. While she could coast on Marcia Roy goodwill, she's choosing projects rooted in displacement politics. Ghandour's track record with 'Theeb' gives this credibility, but distribution uncertainty suggests streamers are skittish about the geopolitical baggage.
Principal photography wrapped in Jordan on June 15, 2026 per Variety's report. The film received backing from Saudi Arabia's Red Sea Film Fund, Qatar's Doha Film Institute, Qatar Media, AFAC, and Jordan Film Fund—regional Gulf money funding a politically volatile Palestinian story.
Abbass is betting big that audiences want dark comedy over disaster porn when it comes to Palestinian narratives. Whether distributors have the stomach for that gamble remains the real hazard.
Hiam Abbass, best known to millions as the ice-cold Marcia Roy from HBO's 'Succession,' is about to remind everyone she's far more than prestige TV royalty. The veteran actress has wrapped principal photography in Jordan on 'Occupational Hazards,' a satirical dark comedy that tackles one of the most contentious conflicts on earth through the lens of one family's desperate fight to keep their Jerusalem home. The film, written and directed by Jordanian filmmaker Bassel Ghandour ('Theeb,' 'The Alleys'), follows the Al-Qassabis—a "loud, loving and slightly dysfunctional" Palestinian clan whose neighborhood faces demolition campaigns allegedly disguised as archaeological excavations searching for the mythical "City of David." According to the synopsis, staying home becomes an act of defiance in itself. The family responds with "wild and unorthodox forms" of resistance that find dark comedy in their impossible situation. Ghandour explicitly wants to break from traditional Palestinian cinema's focus on pain and suffering. "Palestinian stories have often been told through a lens of pain and suffering, and with good reason—there's plenty of both," he said. "But with 'Occupational Hazards,' we hope to offer something different." Abbass anchors an ensemble cast that also features Lebanon's Yumna Marwan ('The Veil'), Jerusalem-based Palestinian rapper Daboor, established actors Nabil Al Raee and Yaffa Bakri, and newcomer Wardi Eilabouni. Notably, the production also recruited U.S. comedy podcast duo Matt Lieb and Daniel Maté from 'Bad Hasbara'—a move that suggests the film isn't shy about skewering propaganda machines on multiple sides. The actress herself described being "immediately drawn to the story, specifically the intelligent and authentic humour, despite the harshness of the situation," praising Ghandour's openness to collaborative character work. The production pulled together funding from an impressive roster of regional and international sources: Jordan's Rula Nasser produces through her Imaginarium Films shingle, with development support from Britain's BFI and producer Charlotte Knowles. Gulf backing includes Saudi Arabia's Red Sea Film Fund and Qatar's Doha Film Institute, plus Qatar Media, the Arab Fund for Arts and Culture (AFAC), and the Jordan Film Fund. Ghandour brings serious credibility—his co-writing/producing credit on 'Theeb' earned a 2014 Academy Award nomination for Best International Feature Film and won a BAFTA. His directorial debut 'The Alleys' premiered on the Piazza Grande at Locarno in 2021 before traveling widely on the festival circuit. Abbass isn't slowing down after this project either. She's also attached to 'Your Turn, 203,' a comedy set in war-battered Beirut alongside Tunisian-Egyptian star Hend Sabri ('Four Daughters'), directed by Lebanese filmmaker Cynthia Sawma. As for 'Occupational Hazards,' distribution and festival premiere plans remain "in flux"—industry code for studios quietly sweating over the political firestorm this material might ignite at major markets.
