A Lion Returns

A Lion Returns is a 2020 Australian drama film directed by Serhat Caradee, starring Tyler De Nawi, Danny Elacci, Jacqui Purvis, Taffy Hany, Buddy Dannoun, Helen Chebatte and Maha Wilson.

Cast

 * Tyler De Nawi as Jamal Alamein
 * Danny Elacci as Omar Alamein
 * Jacqui Purvis as Heidi Alamein
 * Taffy Hany as Yusef Alamein
 * Buddy Dannoun as Yahya Alamein
 * Helen Chebatte as Manal Alamein
 * Maha Wilson as Maya Alamein
 * Maddox Elachi as Khalil Alamein
 * Mohammad Mick Farroukh as Hesham
 * Oliver Trajkovski as Mahmood
 * Serhat Caradee as Ahmed
 * Frances Duca as Auntie Fadia

Release
The film premiered at the Gold Coast Film Festival on 22 April 2020. The film opened in theatres in Australia on 5 November.

Reception
Erin Free of FilmInk called the film a "volatile, extraordinarily well-crafted treatise on the dangers of extremism, and how the bonds with the ones that you love can bring it undone", a "mini-miracle of local filmmaking" and an "excellent piece of cinema outside of its incredible production history." Free also praised the performances, calling them "uniformly excellent", and wrote that Caradee "displays a resolute command of his material from beginning to end".

Sandra Hall of The Sydney Morning Herald rated the film 4 stars out of 5 and wrote that while the script is "probably too verbose" and largely "predictable", the film's story is "told with such conviction" and the actors "pack" their dialogue with "such a charge that there’s a wealth of family history in every word."

Awards and nominations
A Lion Returns was nominated for the 2020 AACTA Award for Best Indie Film in the 10th AACTA Awards.