Dubai-based Front Row Filmed Entertainment and Beirut-based Abajour Productions have partnered on Lebanese actor, writer, and comedian Fouad Yammine’s feature directorial debut Peanuts (Batata Chips Aa Festou).

The dark comedy, which wrapped production in October, also stars Yammine a Nouhad, a thirty-something no hoper who decides to turn his own suicide into a cinematic event.

Hiring a down-on-his-luck cameraman to document his “last night on Earth,” Nouhad gets a number of things off his chest, from declaring his love to his childhood crush to sharing his accounts of botched hookups, run-ins with exes and encounters with crooked cops, and a philosophical sex worker.

His farewell tour spirals into a night of chaos, revelation, and hilarity. By sunrise, what began as a filmed goodbye becomes a painfully honest and laugh-out-loud portrait of a man and a city desperate to find meaning in a crumbling world.

One of Lebanon‘s best known actors and stand-up comedians, Yammine is currently on tour in Europe the 3aka3ba comedy group. He made his big screen debut with small part in Nadine Labaki’s 2011 film Where Do We Go Now?, with more recent credits including Very Bigger Shot, The Insult, Perfect Strangers, Arzé and Prime Video drama Self Modulation.

He is joined in the feature by an Arab ensemble including Said Serhan (Al Hayba) Manal Issa (The Swimmers), Gabriel Yammine (Broken Keys), Talal El Jurdy (Mother Valley), Elie Mitri (Shadow), Cynthia Karam (Brando of the East), and Mounir Challita (Arzé). Shot entirely in Beirut, the film also features cameos from well-known Arab personalities

“Fouad’s innovative approach is a breath of fresh air amidst dire times,” said Front Row CEO Gianluca Chakra.

“We had the pleasure of working together on Perfect Strangers, where he fearlessly portrayed his character and immediately stood out as a talent with so much more to give. Unfortunately, the MENA industry often imposes creative limitations on writers and storytellers but with Peanuts, we went full on. We’re betting on Fouad’s no-holds-barred imagination: one that only he can deliver with his signature blend of humor, tenderness, and poignancy.”

Peanuts marks Front Row’s latest Arabic-language production following collaborations with Film Clinic, Arabia Pictures Entertainment, and Different Productions, as the company continues expanding its regional footprint across development, production, and distribution. Co-producers on the project are Roar-Park, Final Cut, and Audionese.

“My relationship with Front Row began on the set of Perfect Strangers, where it was clear we shared the same instinct for bold, honest storytelling,” said Yammine.

“They’ve always championed films with a soul and works that aren’t confined by genre or origin but speak to something deeply human. Peanuts taps into the raw truths of being human: fear, love, regret, and the longing to belong and emotions that reach far beyond any one place. That shared vision is exactly why this collaboration feels so natural.”

By Melanie Goodfellow

https://deadline.com/2025/11/lebanese-star-fouad-yammine-peanuts-front-row-abajour-1236624472/