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Dubai-based Front Row Productions has acquired the rights to the life story of Sally Hafez, the Lebanese woman who stormed a bank to access her savings in September 2022 during Lebanon’s financial crisis, in which citizens were illegally restricted from drawing from their accounts due to an unofficial capital control imposed by Lebanese banks.
Hafez became an instant media figure following the raid, which she later explained had been conducted to access cash from her accounts to fund her sister’s cancer treatment.
Front Row has said it plans to explore different aspects of her story by creating a variety of media content through feature films, TV series, docu-series, and a podcast series by looking at the various angles of what they described as “Hafez’s unique but relatable journey from a patriotic activist to a disenfranchised citizen taking it upon herself to be divisive.”
Armed with her nephew’s toy gun and a mixture of water and fuel, Hafez succeeded in reclaiming $13,000 and 30,000,000 Lebanese Pounds from Blom Bank in Beirut, obtaining a receipt to avoid theft charges. Although she faced a minor fine from a local judge, she was subsequently released by police.
Hafez’s raid sparked a ripple effect, with others deciding also to take action and recover their funds. The subsequent pressure forced Lebanese banks to shutter their doors, later reopening by appointment only. Hafez’s actions were widely reported on by international media outlets, including the BBC, Reuters, and Le Monde. The New York Times dubbed Hafez as “the world’s most honorable bank robber.”
“I’m incredibly excited to work with Front Row Productions to bring my story to life,” said Hafez. “Our country has gone through so much, and the people in power have taken every opportunity to stamp their authority on a struggling population. It was important to me that my story gets told by people who understand what Lebanon is going through, and that is something I found with the Front Row team.”
In a joint statement from Front Row’s Gianluca Chakra and Empire Entertainment’s Mario Haddad, the producers said: “Sally’s story is as remarkable as it is painful. It is an example of triumph over the demoralizing reality that many hard-working citizens find themselves in, after being barraged by instability and corruption. This universal experience begs into question every aspect of how individuals around the world come up against faltering structures and systems. Access via social media meant that many people worldwide connected and interacted with her story immediately, and recognized the struggles she was facing. While Sally’s story is now very much part of the collective imagination, there are aspects of who this young woman is and how she is built that create an intimacy with the courage and audacity it takes to do what only she and few others have done.”
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