The Idol

Watch The Idol (2016) online on iFILM — director Hany Abu-Assad's biographical drama about Mohammed Assaf, a young man who grew up in a Gaza refugee camp and refused to let the blockade define his life.

In 2013, the real Mohammed Assaf crossed into Jordan through checkpoints that should have stopped him and became the first Palestinian to win the Arab Idol singing competition. His victory became a moment of collective joy across the region. Abu-Assad tells the story without sentiment tipping into sentimentality: Tawfeek Barhom plays Assaf with a restless, low-key intensity, and the film earns its ending. Abu-Assad previously brought two Oscar-nominated films out of Palestine — this one is quieter, warmer, and just as precise. Stream The Idol (2016) full movie on iFILM.