Arab Film Festival Reveals Surprising New Stories
by Roger Rose
The 12th Arab Film Festival opens at the Castro Theatre this month, offering Arab storytelling and cinematography to a widespread audience: San Francisco, Berkeley, San Jose, and Los Angeles. From October 16 through 28, the festival will present the innovative programming vision of AFF Artistic Director Sonia El Feki, who sought out new film productions throughout the Middle East and North Africa, in concert with the selection committee. A passionate El Feki says, "This is an exciting moment to witness a renaissance in Arab filmmaking."
El Feki's artistic ideas take form under the administrative guidance of new Executive Director Michel Shehadeh, who joined the AFF in February of this year. The pair worked together to develop new ways to reveal to American audiences fresh trends in Arab film.
Shehadeh spoke without hesitation: "We want to portray the new narratives that help break down the old, one-dimensional, very na•ve and very stereotypical way of portraying Arabs. So the new narratives are not just for the Western audience, but also for the Arab community here, which is learning about its different personalities."
The contributions of 15 countries deliver a number of international film firsts, notably Jordan's Foreign Language Oscar bid with its first-ever locally-made feature film, Captain Abu Raed (directed by Amin Matalqa). Also included are the first feature films ever to come out of Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Bahrain. Also screening will be Amina, a potent documentary by Yemen's first woman filmmaker, the fascinating Khadija Al-Salami.
Shehadeh, a Palestinian, mused about a cultural expansion he feels with his day-to-day work at the AFF office. "I'm learning about the Maghreb, Algeria, Tunisia, and Morocco, for example, through their films. It's a whole new world for me in North Africa." This year, El Feki and her program committee were able to shine a light on the work of Maghrebi films and directors, beginning with festival opener, Waiting For Pasolini, winner of the 31st Cairo International Film Festival. Directed by Morocco's Daoud Oulad Syad, the film tells the story of Thami, a movie extra who becomes a friend of Italian director Pier Paolo Pasolini during the shooting of an early film in Thami's village.
The Yellow House, helmed by Amor Hakkar, is a moving meditation that traverses Algeria's majestic mountains. An award winner at the 2008 Annual Rotterdam Arab Film Festival, the vivid narrative takes us on a true-to-life journey through villages and towns, as the lead character struggles to ease his wife's grief over the death of their son.
El Feki spoke of a theme rarely seen: "The Yellow House is fascinating in the director's portrayal of fatherhood, also seen in the film Out of Coverage. It's interesting that we have two strong, caring father figures - in the Arab world, that's not always the case. It's refreshing to see, through these humble men, how they really take care of their family life. They're very sensitive to the needs of their immediate families."
A number of films explore aspects of Jewish identity. The documentary Memory of a Woman, directed by Asaad Alwislati, recounts the tale of an Italian-Jewish woman who converts to Islam to marry the right-hand man of noted militant Salah Ben Youssef during the French colonization of Tunisia in the 1940s.
"I think it's important to show Jews living in countries other than Israel - there are actually Jews living in the Arab world. We see the lives of the Jews who choose to live among Arabs. The historic conflict with Israel is shown in The Bahraini Tale. It's an interesting perspective to view the war of 1967 from the viewpoint of Bahraini identity," El Feki said.
Films were selected from more than 15 countries: Morocco, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Tunisia, Algeria, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Yemen, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, France, and the USA.
Soon after the opening night film screening, the AFF will present the 2nd annual Noor Awards, which reward filmmakers with cash prizes in four categories: Best Feature ($2,000); Best Documentary ($2,000); Best Documentary Short ($500); and Best Fiction Short ($500). Following the category awards, a lifetime achievement award will be presented posthumously to noted Egyptian filmmaker Youssef Chahine, who died in July at his home in Cairo at the age of 82, after a career that spanned nearly six decades.
Related programming offers a Filmmakers Panel on Monday, October 20 at 6:30 pm at San Francisco's Alliance Franaise, 1345 Bush Street. Panel moderator Professor Mohammad Salama teaches modern Arabic literature at SF State, and has published articles on both Arab literature and film. Panelists include Daoud Aoulad Syad (Waiting for Pasolini), Lassaad Oueslati (Memory of a Woman), Mondher Nemri (Memory of a Woman), and Amor Hakkar (The Yellow House). Additional filmmakers joining in the panel discussion have not been named at presstime.
AFF is moving to be part of the larger Bay Area film scene by working with other film festivals and organizations. Co-presenting films is the most common way to share audiences and promotional opportunities. Every year AFF co-presents with the Jewish Film Festival, and this year's film choice is still under discussion. The prestigious San Francisco International Film Festival is co-presenting Algeria's international award winner, Yellow House.
About his hopes for the festival's future, Shehadeh says, "We want to try to expand the program to a wider audience, multiply it by 20-25% each year. My hope is to help the Arab Film Festival become an organic component of the cultural view and filmmaking scene in the Bay Area. But also, I feel that these films are beneficial in shaping an understanding between both societies, bridging the cultural gap with real images and narratives of Arab life. The resurgence in Arab filmmaking is bringing films to the West that underscore the collective human society through a new narrative."
Arab Film Fest is Oct 16 - 28
http://www.aff.com (415) 564-1100 Posted on Oct 02, 2008 - 03:58 PM
by Roger Rose
The 12th Arab Film Festival opens at the Castro Theatre this month, offering Arab storytelling and cinematography to a widespread audience: San Francisco, Berkeley, San Jose, and Los Angeles. From October 16 through 28, the festival will present the innovative programming vision of AFF Artistic Director Sonia El Feki, who sought out new film productions throughout the Middle East and North Africa, in concert with the selection committee. A passionate El Feki says, "This is an exciting moment to witness a renaissance in Arab filmmaking."
El Feki's artistic ideas take form under the administrative guidance of new Executive Director Michel Shehadeh, who joined the AFF in February of this year. The pair worked together to develop new ways to reveal to American audiences fresh trends in Arab film.
Shehadeh spoke without hesitation: "We want to portray the new narratives that help break down the old, one-dimensional, very na•ve and very stereotypical way of portraying Arabs. So the new narratives are not just for the Western audience, but also for the Arab community here, which is learning about its different personalities."
The contributions of 15 countries deliver a number of international film firsts, notably Jordan's Foreign Language Oscar bid with its first-ever locally-made feature film, Captain Abu Raed (directed by Amin Matalqa). Also included are the first feature films ever to come out of Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Bahrain. Also screening will be Amina, a potent documentary by Yemen's first woman filmmaker, the fascinating Khadija Al-Salami.
Shehadeh, a Palestinian, mused about a cultural expansion he feels with his day-to-day work at the AFF office. "I'm learning about the Maghreb, Algeria, Tunisia, and Morocco, for example, through their films. It's a whole new world for me in North Africa." This year, El Feki and her program committee were able to shine a light on the work of Maghrebi films and directors, beginning with festival opener, Waiting For Pasolini, winner of the 31st Cairo International Film Festival. Directed by Morocco's Daoud Oulad Syad, the film tells the story of Thami, a movie extra who becomes a friend of Italian director Pier Paolo Pasolini during the shooting of an early film in Thami's village.
The Yellow House, helmed by Amor Hakkar, is a moving meditation that traverses Algeria's majestic mountains. An award winner at the 2008 Annual Rotterdam Arab Film Festival, the vivid narrative takes us on a true-to-life journey through villages and towns, as the lead character struggles to ease his wife's grief over the death of their son.
El Feki spoke of a theme rarely seen: "The Yellow House is fascinating in the director's portrayal of fatherhood, also seen in the film Out of Coverage. It's interesting that we have two strong, caring father figures - in the Arab world, that's not always the case. It's refreshing to see, through these humble men, how they really take care of their family life. They're very sensitive to the needs of their immediate families."
A number of films explore aspects of Jewish identity. The documentary Memory of a Woman, directed by Asaad Alwislati, recounts the tale of an Italian-Jewish woman who converts to Islam to marry the right-hand man of noted militant Salah Ben Youssef during the French colonization of Tunisia in the 1940s. "I think it's important to show Jews living in countries other than Israel - there are actually Jews living in the Arab world. We see the lives of the Jews who choose to live among Arabs. The historic conflict with Israel is shown in The Bahraini Tale. It's an interesting perspective to view the war of 1967 from the viewpoint of Bahraini identity," El Feki said.
Films were selected from more than 15 countries: Morocco, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Tunisia, Algeria, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Yemen, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, France, and the USA.
Soon after the opening night film screening, the AFF will present the 2nd annual Noor Awards, which reward filmmakers with cash prizes in four categories: Best Feature ($2,000); Best Documentary ($2,000); Best Documentary Short ($500); and Best Fiction Short ($500). Following the category awards, a lifetime achievement award will be presented posthumously to noted Egyptian filmmaker Youssef Chahine, who died in July at his home in Cairo at the age of 82, after a career that spanned nearly six decades.
Related programming offers a Filmmakers Panel on Monday, October 20 at 6:30 pm at San Francisco's Alliance Franaise, 1345 Bush Street. Panel moderator Professor Mohammad Salama teaches modern Arabic literature at SF State, and has published articles on both Arab literature and film. Panelists include Daoud Aoulad Syad (Waiting for Pasolini), Lassaad Oueslati (Memory of a Woman), Mondher Nemri (Memory of a Woman), and Amor Hakkar (The Yellow House). Additional filmmakers joining in the panel discussion have not been named at presstime.
AFF is moving to be part of the larger Bay Area film scene by working with other film festivals and organizations. Co-presenting films is the most common way to share audiences and promotional opportunities. Every year AFF co-presents with the Jewish Film Festival, and this year's film choice is still under discussion. The prestigious San Francisco International Film Festival is co-presenting Algeria's international award winner, Yellow House.
About his hopes for the festival's future, Shehadeh says, "We want to try to expand the program to a wider audience, multiply it by 20-25% each year. My hope is to help the Arab Film Festival become an organic component of the cultural view and filmmaking scene in the Bay Area. But also, I feel that these films are beneficial in shaping an understanding between both societies, bridging the cultural gap with real images and narratives of Arab life. The resurgence in Arab filmmaking is bringing films to the West that underscore the collective human society through a new narrative."Arab Film Fest is Oct 16 - 28
http://www.aff.com (415) 564-1100 Posted on Oct 02, 2008 - 03:58 PM
