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ALMOUDOU (Senegal) 2002 85 min. Director:
Amadou Thiro; Distributor:
ArtMattan. In
French, Wolof with English subtitles.
Sometimes distasteful practices are most effectively criticized
with a good sense of humor. Meet Modou, a young, courageous and
determined talibe–a pupil in a Koranic school, and follow his
adventures and misadventures in Dakar. (An ASA/MESA selection)
Arab American Road Movie (USA) 2005 14
min. Director/Producer: Joan Mandell; Executive Producer: Arab
American National Museum; Distributor:
Olive Branch Productions.
In English.
An entertaining yet profound journey through the Arab American
landscape, where folks from 8 to 80, from a dozen countries of
origin and residing in 15 areas of the US, share stories of
personal, family and community identities. The video is being
shown in conjunction with a contemporary life exhibit at the
Arab American National Museum in Dearborn, Michigan.
Armenian Genocide: 90 Years Later
(Armenia/Turkey/USA) 2005 55 min. Produced and distributed by
the University of Minnesota
Center for Holocaust &
Genocide Studies in conjunction with tpt, Minnesota
Public Television. In English.
This documentary features historians, Eric Wietz and Taner Akcam,
the Turkish historian who was jailed in the 70s for writing
about human rights. The events of 1915 are examined in the light
of German records, perhaps the best source of information on the
massacres.
Baghdad Blogger
(Iraq) 2004 90 min.
Director/Producer: Salam Pax for Guardian Films; Distributor:
Filmakers Library.
In Arabic and English with English subtitles. (Consisting of 7
segments: 1-Life in Baghdad (13); 2-Life in Southern Iraq (18);
3-On Saddam Hussein (7); 4-Has Life Improved Since the War? (8);
5-The Baghdad Blogger Visits Kerbala During Ashura (23); 6-On
the Mehdi Army (15); 7-The Baghdad Blogger & the Arts (15).
“I live in Baghdad. I am a blogger. A blog is an online diary.”
So begins this succinct report from Salam Pax, an Iraqi
journalist attempting to keep the world informed about his
beleaguered country. Pax regularly sends fifteen-minute video
reports to the BBC. Filmed in Najaf, Baghdad, Karbala, and the
south of Iraq, they are cleverly worded, cantankerous and
nonpartisan overviews of reality outside the Green Zone.
BEDWIN HACKER
(France/Morocco/Tunisia) 2003 98 min. Writer/Director/Producer:
Nadia El Fani; Associate Producers: Ken Legargeant, Romaine
Legargeant, and Abdelaziz Ben Mlouka; Distributor:
Cinema Libre Studio.
Courtesy of the filmmaker. In Arabic and French with English
subtitles.
From an apartment jammed full of computer equipment, a Tunisian
female computer hacker, Kalt, spends her days hijacking the
frequencies of foreign television channels and using them to
broadcast messages in Arabic, signed by a moving cartoon
character, a camel named Bedwin Hacker. When Julia, alias Agent
Marianne, for the Paris counter-hacking department recognizes
the signature as that of Kalt, her old rival, she uses her
friend, the reporter Chams, to collect more information. A cat
and mouse game ensues.
Beirut…Coming Back to You is
Not Painful (Lebanon) 2005 12 min. Director/Producer:
Laila Hotait Salas.
In Arabic and English with English subtitles and narration.
Courtesy of the filmmaker.
A brief video essay of interviews with several emigré Lebanese
filmmakers. Included are directors Ziad Doueiri, West
Beyrouth, 1998, Lila dit ça, 2004; Ghassan Salhab,
Beyrouth Fantôme, 1998, Terra Incognita, 2002; Nigol
Bezjian, Chickpeas, 1995; Samir Habchi, Le tourbillon,
1992; Randa Chahal-Sabbag, Civilized, 1999. A portrait of
a particular Lebanon emerges, one colored by the actualities and
effects of the civil war.
Between Two Banks (United
Arab Emirates) 1999 20 min. Director: Numoom Alghanem; Writer:
Khalid Bader; Producer:
Cultural Foundation of the
United Arab Emirates. Courtesy of David Hirsch. In
Arabic with English subtitles.
This documentary chronicles the life and work of Khamees Marzouq,
the last remaining boatman of Duabi Creek. Through stunning
scenes and echoes of sailor’s songs, we witness the challenges
of adaptation to modern realities and technology.
Bride Kidnapping in Kyrgyzstan
(Kyrgyzstan) 2004 50 min. Director: Petr Lom; Assistant
Director: Fatima Sartbaeva; Executive Producers: Aktan Arym
Kubat and Jan Rofekamp; Distributor:
First Run Icarus Films.
In Russian, Kyrgyz with English subtitles.
Bride Kidnapping documents four such abductions, from the violent seizures on city
streets and the tearful protests of the women, who are
physically restrained and persuaded to accept their fate by the
women of the groom’s family, to the often tense negotiations
between the respective families, and either eventual
acquiescence or continued refusal of the young women. A brief
glimpse at a shocking, social custom, but one that at the same
time raises provocative questions about the nature of love and
marriage.
The Color of Love (Rangeh Eshgh) (Iran/USA) 2004 68 min. Director/Writer/Producer: Maryam
Keshavarz; Distributor:
Marakesh Films.
In Persian with English subtitles.
One week each year
Iranians stay out all night. Women abandon legal curfews. Men
weep. Communities gather to mourn their saint’s death, ask that
wishes be granted, give thanks for prayers answered. While this
week showcases Iran’s most restrictive religious elements, it
offers openings for this culture’s most intimate connections. We
follow three couples negotiating love and learn that appearances
can be deceiving.
Comedy Middle Eastern Style
(USA) 2005 56 min. Director/Producer: Soodabeh Oskoui
Babcock and James Babcock; Distributor:
Cinema Guild. In
English.
In a mix of humor and candid interviews, Middle Eastern stand-up
comics living in New York share their views on political issues
and the prejudice they’ve had to endure since September 11,
2001. The sample includes Arab, Israeli, Pakistani, and Iranian
comics. They are witty, charming, caustic, even offensive and
yet thoroughly engaging.
Death by Stoning: Justice,
Punishment, and Human Rights
(USA) 2003 23 min. ABC News Nightline Program; Produced by ABC
News; Distributor: Films for
the Humanities and Sciences. In English. (An ASA/MESA
selection)
Set in Nigeria, this ABC News program uses the case of Amina
Lawal as a platform to discuss the concepts of justice and
punishment as they relate to human rights. Akbar Ahmed, chair of
Islamic Studies and professor of international relations at
American University, and Ayesha Imam, founding director of a
human rights agency that assisted in Ms. Lawal’s defense, are
featured.
Gallipoli (Turkey)
2005 120 min.
Director/Writer/Producer: Tolga Ornek; Producers: Hamdi Doker,
Burak Ornak; Distributor:
Ekip Films. Courtesy of the filmmaker. In English.
This is the recounting of the tragic 1915 Gallipoli Campaign as
told through the diaries and letters of 2 British, 3 New
Zealand, 3 Australian and 2 Turkish soldiers selected from 350
people. Beautifully put together and gracefully narrated by
Jeremy Irons, the film personalizes and bears witness to human
beings behaving at their worst.
Honorable Murder
(Jordan) 2004 55 min. Directors/
Writers: Lena Pettersson and Peter Löfgren; Produced by Sverige
Television; Distributor: Films
for the Humanities and Sciences. In Arabic and Swedish
with English subtitles.
This Swedish production takes a hard look at the various
interpretations of honor and presents the grim realities that
exists in both urban and rural contexts. This film is well
researched and puts forth the traditions, ideas and
interpretations that keep the practice of honor killings intact.
Inside the Closed Kingdom:
Saudi Arabia (Saudi Arabia) 2005 22 min. An Australian
Broadcasting Corporation production for Journeyman Pictures; US
Distributor: Filmakers
Library. In Arabic with English subtitles.
An increasingly destabilized Saudi Arabia is more willing to
listen to Islamic fundamentalists and to bankroll the Al-Qaeda
terrorist network in a holy war against the West. This troubling
film includes an interview with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince
Abdullah ibn Abdul-Aziz al-Saud who has become the country’s
ruler.
IN THE MORNING
(Turkey) 2004 10 min. Director: Danielle Lurie; Distributor:
Women Make Movies. In
Turkish with English subtitles.
A short drama based on a true story, a young woman is brutally
attacked, and the responsibility of restoring her family’s lost
honor is left in the hands of her 13-year old younger brother.
Poetic, haunting and beautifully crafted, the film adds another
dimension to the disturbing practice of honor killing.
Iran: The Cyber Dissidents (Iran) 2005 28 min. Produced by
the Australian Broadcast Corporation; Distributor:
Filmakers Library.
In English with English subtitles as needed. Iran, an Islamic
republic, has the largest number of internet users in the Middle
East. A large dissident population is finding new ways to
communicate, risking arrest, prison, torture and even death as
they try to organize resistance to the repressive religious
government. To be a reformer today is to live dangerously.
Islam Behind Bars (USA)
2004 47 min. Writer/Director: John Curtin and Paul Carvalho;
Producer: John Curtin for
Kaos Productions in association with the Canadian
Broadcasting Corporation. Courtesy of the filmmaker. In English.
(An ASA/MESA selection)
No religion is growing faster in Western prisons than Islam. In
the US alone, there are more than 200,000 Muslim inmates. They
are mainly black converts searching for an alternative to
Christianity, which many reject as the slave-master’s faith. The
prisoners follow a path first made famous by Malcolm X, who
through his own transformation, discovered a strict religion
which could bring discipline and dignity to men whose lives had
been devastated by violence and drugs.
Jews of Iran
(Iran) 2005
13 min. Producer: Greg Wilesmith for Australian Broadcasting
Corporation; Distributor:
Filmakers Library.
In Farsi, Hebrew with English narration and subtitles.
Largely forgotten by the rest of the world, Iran is home to the
largest Jewish population in the Middle East outside of Israel.
After the revolution in 1979, a majority of the Jews fled, many
to the US, but 25,000 still remain. How are they faring? A short
essay on a unique population.
Just Ralph (The Call for
Change Series) (USA) 2005 11 min. Director: Clifton Watson;
Series Producer: JT Takagi; Distributor:
Third World Newsreel. In
English. A “day in the life” of Ralph, a Palestinian-American
grocery store owner, whose Brooklyn store is the neighborhood
drop-in center. All topics discussed; “real” democracy in
action.
Lakposhtha hâm parvaz mikonand
(Turtles Can Fly) (Iran/Iraq) 2004 93 min.
Writer/Director/Producer: Bahman Ghobadi; Distributor:
New Yorker Films.
In Kurdish with English subtitles.
Orphaned children struggle to survive in a refugee camp on the
Iraq-Turkey border in the run up to war in this stark drama. The
heartwrenching story is superbly acted by these young actors,
without sentimentality, yet they manage to convey incredible
resilience and resolve in the face of unbelievable horror. A
really masterful film.
L’ESQUIVE (Games of
Love and Chance) (France)
2005 119 min. Director:
Abdellatif Kechiche; Producer: Jacques Ouaniche (Noé Productions
Int.); Distributor:
New Yorker Films. In French with English subtitles.
The film is a glimpse into the separate reality of North African
teenagers living in the “banlieues” of Paris. Kechiche weaves
the plot of 18th century French writer, Pierre Carlet de
Chamblain de Marivaux together with the “plot” and “acting” of a
group of friends united by a cultural heritage yet separated by
their immigrant status. Beautifully filmed and executed, the
young actors and actresses weave their own “plot” as they bump
up against Muslim/North African morés.
Military Promises (The
Call for Change Series) (USA) 2005 11 min. Directors: Al Santana
and Alonzo Speight; Series Producer: JT Takagi; Distributor:
Third World Newsreel. In
English. (An ASA/MESA selection)
Sex, money and travel-the hooks used by military recruiters to
lure young men. A look at the military recruitment process
through a mixture of performance and the experiences of two
young men of color.
MOOLAADÉ
(Sanctuary) (Senegal) 2004 124
min. Director/Writer: Ousmane Sembene; Executive Producer: Ciné
Sud Promotion; Distributor:
New Yorker Films.
In Jula and French with English subtitles. (An ASA/MESA
selection)
African cinema’s founding father, 81-year-old Ousmane Sembene,
continues to be its most fiery, provocative spirit. Moolaadé is
a rousing polemic directed against the still-common African
practice of female circumcision. Four young girls facing ritual
“purification” flee to the household of Collé, a strong-willed
woman who invokes the time honored custom of moolaadé
(sanctuary) to protect the fugitives. The ensuing standoff pits
Collé against village traditionalists (both male and female).
Vibrant colors as intense as the emotional tone, layers of
metaphor and touches of endearing humor make this film an
extraordinary visual journey.
My Land Zion
(Israel) 2004 57 min.
Director/Writer: Yulie Cohen Gerstel; Producers: Yulie Cohen
Gerstel, Esther van Messel, David Osterbog; Distributor:
Women Make Movies. In
English and Hebrew with English subtitles.
From Yulie Cohen Gerstel, a sixth generation Israeli and
director of the previously screened, My Terrorist, comes
a personal essay in which Gerstel questions her own decision to
return and raise her family in Israel, while challenging the
myth of Zionism. She wonders about the future that awaits her
daughters in a country embroiled in continuous war, she
stretches a connecting thread from the murder of Jews in the
Holocaust to the War of Independence to the rise in settlements
and the condition of Palestinian refugees in Israel today.
On the Objection Front
(Israel/Palestine) 2005 63 min. Director: Shiri Tsur;
Distributor: First Run Icarus
Films. In Hebrew and English with subtitles as needed.
On the Objection Front
features interviews with the six founding members of the Courage
to Refuse organization who movingly recount their personal
histories, their encounters with brutality, the moral dilemmas
that led them to their difficult decision, and how they see
their refusal not so much as a political act, but as a stand for
human rights and basic moral values. A powerful statement of
personal courage.
PRIVATE
(Israel/Palestine) 2004 90 min. Director: Saverio Costanzo;
Producer: Mario Gianani; Executive Producer: Patrizia Costantini;
a coproduction of OffSide, Instituto Luce and Cydonia in
association with Rai Cinema; Distributor:
Arab Film Distribution.
In Arabic and Hebrew with English subtitles.
Inspired by real events, documentary filmmaker Saverio
Costanzo’s feature debut is a minimalist psychological drama
about a Palestinian family of seven suddenly confronted with a
volatile situation in their home. Shot in cinema verité
documentary style, complete with grainy images and slightly
“trembling” camera work; this film has an unsettling,
claustrophobic quality.
Prostitution Behind the Veil
(Iran) 2005 52 min. Director: Nahid Persson; Producer: Jakob
Hogel; with COMSMO Doc Aps, a co-production with Swedish
Television; Distributor:
Filmakers Library. In Persian and Swedish with English
subtitles.
Prostitution Behind the
Veil explores the
lives to two Iranian prostitutes in an uncompromising but
sympathetic manner. This film, directed by a returning Iranian
émigré, highlights how the perversion of Shia Muslim law in
terms of “sighe” marriages (temporary marriages) can be used to
justify “legal prostitution.” A grim and gritty look at a
troubling reality.
Queen of the Mountain
(Turkey) 2005 56 min. Director/Producer: Martha Goell Lubell;
Distributor: Women Make Movies.
In Hebrew, Turkish and English with narration.
This is the story of Theresa Goell, whose life work was the
archaeological excavation of Nemrud Dagh. Written by Goell’s
niece, the film has breathtaking National Geographic archival
footage of the excavations, hundreds of family photographs and
Goell’s oral history and letters, read by acclaimed actress
Tovah Feldshuh.
RACHIDA
(Algeria ) 2002 100 min. Director: Yamina Bachir-Chouikh;
Distributor: First Run Icarus
Films, part of “The Global Film Initiative.” In Arabic
with English subtitles.
Director Yamina Bachir-Chouikh’s first feature film evokes
memories of the worst atrocities of the terror in Algeria. It is
the story of a young teacher, Rachida, who stands up to such an
event. Rachida is a portrait in resilience and courage, a
testimony to the courage and endurance of the community, and
especially of the women.
Return of Allah:
Shi’ite Muslims in Iraq
(Iraq) 2004 52 min. Director: Frank Berruyer and Jean-Pascal
Bublex; Producer: Maximal News with France 5; Distributor:
Films for the Humanities and
Sciences. In Arabic with English subtitles and
narration.
This film provides an historical overview of Shiites’ religious
suppression in Iraq-spanning 13 centuries-then enters the heart
of Iraq’s holy cities to see how Shiites initially react to
recent spiritual liberties.
Return to the Land of Wonders
(Iraq) 2004 88 min. Director/Writer: Maysoon Pachachi; Producer:
Oxymoron Films with ZDF in cooperation with ARTE; Distributor:
Arab Film Distribution.
In Arabic with English narration and subtitles.
Soon after the 2003 Iraq war, filmmaker Maysoon Pachachi returns
to Baghdad after 35 years, accompanying her 80-year-old father,
Adnan, who has returned to head a committee drafting a temporary
constitution and bill of rights. We follow this tortuous
process, with its arguments over wording changes demanded by
Washington or compromises to satisfy sectarian interests. Moving
between the political sphere and everyday life on the streets,
this film offers a unique glimpse into the resilience of Iraqis
as they struggle to sustain their lives and to fight off a sense
of despair and defeat.
Rising Up: The Alams (The
Call for Change Series) (USA) 2005 11 min. Director: Konrad
Aderer; Series Producer: JT Takagi; Distributor:
Third World Newsreel. In
English.
A real life, real time consequence of the Patriot Act on a New
York City Bangladeshi family caught up in an immigration
nightmare, mirroring the experience of the thousands that have
been targeted in the wake of 9/11.
Saj: Muslim in America (The Call for Change Series) (USA)
2005 4 min. Director: Sam Pollard; Series Producer: JT Takagi;
Distributor: Third World Newsreel. In English.
A young NYC African American woman talks about being a Muslim,
from philosophy, veiling and how to define oneself in society.
Sure to inspire lively discussion.
Secularism: The Turkish
Experience
(Turkey)
2004 Total all chapters: 110 min. Director: Omer Baristiran;
A Masters of Liberal
Arts Capstone Project for the University of Pennsylvania.
Courtesy of the filmmaker. FilmFest will screen Chapters 1, 2,
and 3.|
1. Definitions of Secularism(3); 2. Secularism in Turkish
History (17); 3. Secular Politics – A New Formula? (20); 4. A
Divided Turkish Society? (6); 5. Separating the State From
Religion? (11); 6. Teaching Religion? (19); 7. Success of the
Turkish Formula? (13); 8. Lessons from the Turkish Experience?
(6)
Located on a pathway between cultures in Eurasia, Turkey claims
to be the only secular country in the Eurasia region with a 99%
Muslim majority. The 80-year-old social experiment of the
Turkish Republic is facing many challenges: how to build an
identity as a modern democracy while balancing the historic
culture and religion.
Sentenced to Marriage
(Israel) 2004 65 min. Director: Anat Zuria; Producer: Amit
Breuer; Distributor: Women Make
Movies. In Hebrew with English subtitles.
This documentary exposes the Kafkaesque process of divorce for
women in Israel, where there is no separation of church and
state, and divorce is dealt with according to archaic and
fundamentalist orthodox Jewish law. Filmmaker Anat Zuria, gained
access to the rabbinical courts to follow two women caught in
this demoralizing legal labyrinth with the help of female
rabbinical advocates. Due to strict privacy laws, Zuria
creatively captures proceedings through audio recordings and
partially obscured video.
The Shape of the Future
(Israel, West Bank, Gaza, Lebanon, Jordan) 2005 Parts I & II 50
min. each. Director: Lynn Allen Scheid; Producer: John Marks;
Distributor: Common Ground
Productions. In Arabic, Hebrew and English with English
subtitles.
The Shape of the Future
is a documentary series that portrays on a very human level what
an eventual Palestinian-Israeli peace settlement could look
like. The emphasis is on the future, not on the past-which makes
this a unique documentary effort. All of the contentious issues
are addressed, from settlements, to Jerusalem and to the right
of return.
SHAH-RE ZIBA
(Beautiful City) (Iran) 2004 105 min. Director: Asghar Farhadi;
Producer: Iraj Taghipour for Neshane, Ltd.; Distributor:
Sheherazad Media
International (SMI). In Persian with English subtitles.
Screening sponsored by the ILEX Foundation.
Akbar has just
turned eighteen. He has been held in a rehabilitation centre for
committing murder at the age of sixteen when he was condemned to
death. Legally speaking, he had to reach the age of eighteen
before the sentence could be carried out. Now, Akbar is
transferred to prison to await the day of his execution. A‘la, a
friend of Akbar, who himself has undergone imprisonment for
burglary, tries desperately to gain the consent of Akbar’s
plaintiff to stop the execution.
Shi’ism: Waiting for
the Hidden Imam (Iran)
2005 53 min. Directors: Saïd Bakhtaoui and Mohammad Ballout;
Distributor: First Run Icarus
Films. In Persian with English subtitles.
This film illuminates the historical roots of this branch of
Islam, from its origins in a 7th-century dispute over the
successor to the Prophet Mohammad and a political and
theological war between Sunni and Shi’ite followers, through the
sect’s mythology of martyrdom established by the massacre in 662
at Kerbala. It describes centuries of persecution and
discrimination of Shi’ism as a minority faith, and outlines its
basic tenets, including belief in the twelfth, or ‘hidden’ Imam,
who will appear on the Last Day as the Mahdi.
Shirin
Ebadi-A Simple Lawyer
(Iran) 2004 47 min.Director: Bani Khoshnoudi Distributor:
First Run Icarus Films.
In Persian with English subtitles.
This documentary profiles Iranian attorney Shirin Ebadi, who was
awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2003 for her efforts
on behalf of democracy and human
rights, in particular the struggle for the rights of women and
children.
The Square
‘Al-Muraba’
(Jordan/Switzerland) 2005 27 min. Director: Sawsan Darwaza;
Executive Producer: Pioneers Production Company; Distributor:
Pioneers Production Company.
In Arabic and English with English subtitles.
“Today we entered the 21st day of the war on Iraq. In Amman
everything seems normal. The sun is shining, the trees are in
their place, the house stones are still white, I wonder if the
trees, the stones, the sun know what is happening….” This film
is a video essay contemplating the war.
A Stranger in Her Own City
(Yemen) 2005 29 min. Director/Producer:
Khadija Al-Salami.
Courtesy of the filmmaker. In Arabic with English subtitles.
Najmia, “little star,” is 13 years old and has a radiant smile
and a candid gaze. In the old town of Sana’a in Yemen, everybody
knows her. For Najmia, openly showing her curls in the sunlight,
is a living challenge to centuries of ancestral and Islamic
tradition. Insolent and carefree, she doesn’t wear a veil. In
this strict Islamic community, her behavior will determine her
future.
TAHARA
(USA) 2004 18 min. Writer/Producer/Director:
Sara Rashad.
Courtesy of the filmmaker. In Arabic and English with English
subtitles. (An ASA/MESA selection)
Three generations of women confront whether or not to succumb to
tradition regarding female circumcision. This is a thoughtful,
dramatic short feature.
Talking Peace
(USA) 2005 28 min. Director/Writer/Producer: Mark Freeman;
Executive Producer: Pat Finn; Distributor:
Cinema Guild. In
English.
The cycle of violence in the Middle East may seem to have no
end, but in San Diego Jews and Palestinians have united despite
the odds. “Talking Peace” takes place in the living room of Jim
Rauch, a Jew, and his wife Doris Bittar, an Arab; the stage has
been set to create an alternative to living with hatred. In
their home, Jews and Palestinians share their stories and their
pain governed by only one rule: to truly listen to each other.
Through the Small Gate of
Loneliness (Iran) 2005 12 min. Director/Producer/Writer:
Simin Keramati.
Courtesy of the filmmaker.
This is a video performance art piece, deceptively simple, yet
filled with great depth and humanity.
The Turkish Perspective
(Turkey) 2005 45 min. Directors: Sabine Küper and Thomas Büsch
for Journeyman Pictures, Inc.; Distributor:
Filmakers Library.
In German, Turkish with English subtitles and narration.
This film examines some of the core objections of the European
countries to Turkey entering the EU. Turkey has already
implemented a number of reforms to meet EU requirements:
government-run shelters for women escaping abuse; rescinding
laws excusing honor killings, modernizing prisons; granting
Kurds more rights. But even before these changes, Istanbul was
a bustling modern metropolis with a sophisticated, liberal
middle class. The discussion continues.
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