Archive · 4 Aug 2025
Matty Brown's 'The Sand Castle' Tops Netflix Charts
Imagine a movie about a family struggling to survive on a sinking island.
That's "The Sand Castle."
It's about refugees and the hard times they face.
The director, Matty Brown, was inspired by a sad photo of a young boy.
The movie shows a child's feelings during tough times.
It was the most-watched Arabic movie on Netflix for the first half of 2025.
Filming happened on an island near Lebanon, and the actors connected with the story.
"The Sand Castle," an Arabic-language film, became Netflix's most-watched Arabic movie in the first half of 2025.
The film, directed by Matty Brown, is a migrant drama inspired by the image of Alan Kurdi.
It features Lebanese actress Nadine Labaki and Syrian refugee Zain Al Rafeea.
Filming took place on Rabbits Island, a nature reserve off the coast of Lebanon.
The story is told through the traumatized perspective of a young girl.
- Who
- Directed by Matty Brown, starring Zain Al Rafeea, Nadine Labaki, and Ziad Bakri.
- What
- The Sand Castle, a migrant drama film, became Netflix's most-watched Arabic-language movie in the first six months of 2025.
- When
- The film was the most-watched during the first half of 2025; Filming occurred in September 2022.
- Where
- Filming occurred on Rabbits Island, Lebanon.
- Why
- The film explores themes of trauma and the refugee experience.
Supporters
Netflix
Content Origin
Supporters
Emphasis on the importance of bold, original Arabic content.
Netflix
Not applicable.
- Director
- Matty Brown
- Lead Actors
- Zain Al Rafeea, Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri
- Language
- Arabic
- Filming Location
- Rabbits Island, Lebanon
- Most-Watched Period
- First Half of 2025
- Views
- 10.8M
- Hours Watched
- 17.4M