The film was entirely shot in Aden, Yemen, during the civil war, from late August 2021 to mid November 2021. At some point, the whole crew was holed up in a hotel for five days because of armed fighting happening in the street.
Official submission of Yemen for the 'Best International Feature Film' category of the 96th Academy Awards in 2024.
Conscious of the power of cinema to provide an account of the life in a certain time and place, director Amr Gamal purposefully used a lot of wide shots to show the city and its architecture, so that it won't be lost to war or oblivion.
The camera is static throughout the movie, in order to minimize the number of setups, as the cast and crew were not hardened professionals who could quickly change the lighting, the camera, etc., so this saved a lot of time during shooting. It also enabled the actors to focus on their scenes and act naturally.
Director Amr Gamal already knew Khaled Amdan (Ahmed, the father) from school; he had rehearsed the role with another actor, but he eventually felt he was lacking the gravitas needed for the role.
For the characters of Isra'a (the mother) and Muna (the OB/GYN), he chose people he has already seen in TV shows.
To fill the secondary roles, they had to get creative. For instance, the makeup artist has a minor role in the movie. A call for actors went a bit viral on Facebook, and that enabled them to find new talents, like for the role Isra'a's mother, which is played by a journalist living in Aden.