Egyptian film Sheikh Jackson will have its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in Canada, which runs from 7 to 17 September.

The festival has announced the first wave of the lineup, which includes 14 gala screenings and 33 special presentations.

Directed by Amr Salama, Sheikh Jackson is so far the only Egyptian and Arab work at the festival, and will screen as part of the "Special Presentations" section.

It was also chosen as the closing film for this section.

Sheikh Jackson stars Ahmed El-Fishawy, Ahmed Malek, Maged El-Kedwany, and Amina Khalil.

The film is set on the day of Michael Jackson’s death in 2009, and centres on a sheikh who was dubbed "Jackson" by his friends during his schooldays. The story goes on to explore the emotions stirred by the popstar's death, sparking a series of existential questions within the sheikh.

Salama is a self-taught, award-winning filmmaker and writer, who previously wrote and directed Zay Ennaharda (On a Day like Today, 2008), Asmaa (2011) and La Moakhza (Excuse My French, 2013).

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