Bassel’s first feature as a writer and producer reached all the way to the Academy Awards. That debut, the Bedouin Western THEEB, was Jordan’s first even nominee for Best Foreign-Language Oscar and also stormed the international marketplace (where it was released in a record 12 Arab countries through MAD Solutions). His first feature as a director, the multi-character interconnected crime drama THE ALLEYS that was produced by Rula Nasser, was shot in the East Amman neighborhood where violence and gossip run rampant. While in post-production, THE ALLEYS scored several prizes at the Cairo Film Connection co-production market. The film will be in Piazza Grande section in the upcoming 74th Locarno Festival.