Mustache
A film set in old Kuwait, depicting the life of a man who is unable to grow a moustache. Screened in the Makhlouta Session
Arabian Nights Animation Collection
World Premiere Animation is nothing new to Arab filmmakers. When Walt Disney was beginning work on Snow White and Seven Dwarfs in the 1930s, a small group was also at work in Egypt, creating a film for the Ministry of Defence. The film, National Defense (1939), deployed animation in the propaganda war against the Nazi invasion of Egypt in World War II. Today a new generation of Arab animators is at work in Egypt, Syria, Tunisia, Morocco and Middle East.Their work draws on a rich tradition of folklore, from the ArabianNights to the legends of Sinbad, Aladdin, Ali Baba and Scheherazade, as ...
The Time That Remains
The Time That Remains is a powerful personal depiction of Palestine since 1948 by Elia Suleiman, the acclaimed director of Divine Intervention and Chronicle of a Disappearance. In Suleiman’s own words this ‘is a semi-biographical film in four episodes, about a family, my family, from 1948 until recent times. The film is inspired by my father’s private diaries, starting from when he was a resistance fighter in 1948, and by my mother’s letters to family members who were forced to leave the country since that time. Combined with my intimate memories of them and with them, the film attempts to portray ...
Scheherazade, Tell Me a Story
A sharp observation of Egyptian society, Scheherazade, Tell Me a Story uses the classic Arabian Nights framework of a story within a story. Hebba Younis (Mona Zakki), is a contemporary, fiercely independent talk-show host. Married to Karim Hassan (Hassan El Raddad), a needy and opportunistic newspaper editor for a government-owned daily, Hebba is asked to forfeit the success of her career for the professional ambitions of her husband. In the eyes of government officials, before Karimmay ascend his own political and professional ladder, he must persuade his wife to soften the blazingly critical tone she broadcasts across the nation. Afraid of ...
Kick Off
Australian Premiere A humane and eloquently voiced plea for Iraq’s marginal citizens, and a timely reminder, as the World Cup rages, of the place the game holds in hearts throughout the world. In a half-destroyed Iraqi football stadium, about 300 refugee families are living in a hastily assembled shanty town. The elder son of one of the families is Asu, an idealistic young man who arranges a football match between the Kurdish, Arab, Turkmen and Assyrian boys of the camp, in the hope of cheering up his younger brother and impressing his beautiful neighbour, Hilin. But when the big day rolls around, ...
City of Life
Three fascinating characters live in modern Dubai – a privileged young Arab man at odds with his cultural identity, a disillusioned Indian taxi driver who looks like a famous Bollywood star and a former Romanian ballet dancer searching for love and companionship. These people are about to collide for better or for worse in a city where ambition, growth and opportunity are encouraged and dreams can still be realized. True to Dubai’s cosmopolitan makeup, the cast includes Romanian actress Alexandra Maria Lara, Northern Indian actor Sonu Sood, UAE nationals Saoud Al Ka’abi and Habib Ghuloom, British-based Jason Flemyng, Natalie Dormer and ...
Arab Film Festival Finale in Brisbane
The Arab Film Festival 2010 launches its grand finale in Brisbane this weekend. After a sell-out tour of Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra and Adelaide it’s now Brisbane’s turn to catch the latest in contemporary cinema from the Arab world.
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Filmmakers
Mohammed Rashed Bu-Ali»
A distinguished Bahraini film critic, writer and director, Mohammed Rashid Bu-Ali has accomplished many things during the course of his short professional career. A legal professional with diverse experience ranging from commercial to personal law, Bu-Ali has authored, directed and produced a number of films and documentaries.
Shawkat Amin Korki»
Born in Iraqi Kurdistan in 1973 and grew up in Iran. His short films, made between 1997 and 2005, have been presented at many international festivals, winning awards and positive reception.
