There’s been laughter, there’s been tears and there’s been extraordinary connections with 4000 Arab movie fans across Australia.

One extra happy punter, Maria Munzone, won two return tickets to Abu Dhabi valued at $5,500 thanks to Etihad Airways. We wish her a great trip!

What did you love?

And of course, you loved the chance to see the world through Arab eyes, especially since the dramatic events early in the year.

Stories from Home

‘The events in the Middle East have certainly had an impact on the interest from the broad Australian community,’ says Festival Co-Director Mouna Zaylah. ‘I think people are sick of only getting the perspective that the mainstream presents about the lives of Arabs, whether they’re living in the diaspora or in an Arab country.’

She says many people relished the chance to see stories from home. ‘The crowd in Melbourne for Cry of the Ant was amazing. There were 250 people, a very mixed crowd but a large number from the Egyptian community. It was like sitting in someone’s lounge room, some people were clapping, some were crying in the tragic parts. People were having little conversations with each other. And at the end there was the largest applause we’ve ever heard, it sounded like a 1000 people. It was an amazing response in Melbourne to that session.’

Social Media

@_Zahraa: ‘To the organisers of the @arabfilmfestau AMAZING work!! round of applause’

Fenella Kernebone, reported on ABC’s Art Nation: “It’s fantastic to be here tonight…in what is a very apt theme this year, “Revolution, Romance, Realities”… One of the most interesting elements is that a number of films in the festival highlight new media’s role, amplifying everyday voices and images across the globe. And one film that does exactly this is Gaza Shield.”

@mayouss: “thank you @arabfilmfestau for the laughs (no matter how small they were) and the cries (no matter how many). come back soon. #love #arabfilm”

Saber Media on Facebook: “So much has happened in the Arab world since last year’s Arab Film Festival. Do not miss out this year’s Arab Film Festival Australia”

@andalusiya: ‘saw @TetaAlfMarra at @arabfilmfestau brilliant & a hit with all, I loved Um Mohammad so much, reminded us of all our tetas! @MahmoudKaabour’

@gemtgee: ‘How gorgeous is little Majid? 5 stars in my opinion! @arabfilmfestau #aff2011’

@andalusiya: “I can’t wait to see this film at the AFF, so beautiful! | Grandma, A Thousand Times”

@NawafAljanahi: ‘A beautiful screening & an amazing audience today for the #Emirati #films at the @arabfilmfestau in #Sydney (#Australia).’

David Hamilton on FB: “I’ve heard so many great things about this festival all the way out here in Texas. Good work to all those involved.”

Dena Abdel-Fatah on FB: “I highly recommend it. It is a really great Film Festival my husband and I loved it we sent our daughters the following day they loved it to. I wish I had the chance to watch each and every film.”

@digitalkulcha: “Arab film festival still screening & still smashing stereotypes”

Reine Abbas posts of FB “Gaza Shield…….is rocking Australia……go Tania Khalaf.”

Helen Abdalla on FB: “Attended tonight’s screening of “cry of an ant “, what a fantastic movie. I hope we get to see more quality Arabic movies such as this in our cinemas more often.”

@datakid23: “I saw a wonderful film at @arabfilmfestau on Friday [Cry of an Ant], very funny very human big cheers.”

There’s still time to add your review online. Join us on Twitter @arabfilmfestau and Facebook now.

Thank You for Supporting Arab Cinema

Thanks to our sponsors: Etihad Airways, the Australian Human Rights Commission, Australia Council, Arts NSW, Council for Australian-Arab Relations, Parramatta City Council, World Media International, Screen NSW, Media Loft, SBS Film, 2Moro, MySat, Arabic Pages, Port Bar, Dendy Cinema, Palace Nova Cinema, Riverside Parramatta, National Film & Sound Archive and Cinema Nova.

Thanks also to our wonderful volunteers and the fabulous festival committee: Dr Paul Abood, Alissar Gazal, Firas Naji, Joanne Saad, Saleh Saqqaf, Omeima Sukkarieh and Farid Farid.

And big thanks to the AFFA team: Publicist Nicholas Pickard, Graphic Designer Meiying Saw, Documentation Video Artist Vanna Seang, Multimedia Support Zahra Al Samawi, Marketing Support Kristy Mayhew, Jackie Leewai And Yu Ye Wu, Communications Consultant Monique Perrin, Festival Trailer Music Provider The Narcicyst, Website Developer and Designer Maissa Alamedine. Extra Special thanks to the amazing ICE team, ICE Members of the Board and our Executive Director Lisa Torrance.

Watch this Space

As the film industry expands in the Arab world, our festival will keep you in touch with the very latest and greatest Arab films. Fadia Abboud says ‘Celebrating our 10th anniversary with over 4000 people was a major milestone. We are energized to continue working hard to bring amazing Arab films to Australia. Looking forward to connecting with you in 2012!’

Stay tuned next winter for the 2012 Arab Film Festival Australia.

The Festival is proudly managed by Information and Cultural Exchange (ICE). ice.org.au

Throughout July we’ve brought cinematic diversity to Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra and Adelaide. Now it’s Brisbane’s turn to see the films that take us straight into the heart of the Arab Spring.

Catch us at Dendy Portside on Saturday 30 July and Sunday 31 July for eight films that represent the very best of the Arab Film Fest.

Brisbane line-up

Brisbane’s festival opener on Saturday 30 July is The Cry of an Ant, the first feature film to address the events of the Egyptian revolution in January. See it with The Rodba, a light-hearted look at marriage tradition from France.

On Sunday 31 July we screen Stray Bullet and let you catch up with the divine Nadine Labaki in her first feature since Caramel. It’s Lebanon, 1976, and a 30-something woman is teetering on the brink of a loveless marriage. This film expertly weaves together the struggles of the heart with the close, tense atmosphere of wartime Beirut. It screens with Mary, a tale of neighbourly espionage in Western Sydney.

On our festival grand finale session on Sunday night we bring you three boundary-pushing films that explore facets of the Palestinian struggle with a dose of 21st-century magic. The highly experimental documentary This is My Picture When I Was Dead is an occasionally surreal film combining archival footage and photos with dramatic re-creations to delve into the history of the PLO. It screens with Into the Belly of the Whale, filmed in the tunnels below the border between Israel, Gaza and Egypt and Gaza Shield, about a group of Lebanese activists who express their politics in an online game.

Inside the Revolution

“The rich tradition of storytelling has been part of the Arab culture for thousands of years,” says Festival Co-Director Mouna Zaylah. “And this tradition has been transferred to the screen and strengthened as technology and access is developing. More and more we are producing and presenting the stories ourselves rather than waiting for the Western media to retell our stories.”

Tickets & Details

Find out more about the films online.

Hit us up

Have your say – join us on Twitter @arabfilmfestau and Facebook now.

Visit our website for the full festival program and national tour dates.

We’re pulling up at the Palace Nova Eastend Cinemas in Rundle St, on Saturday 23 July and Sunday 24 July.

A peek into the Arab imagination

On Sunday 24 July we’ll take an afternoon trip to Lebanon, 1976, where a 30-something woman teeters on the brink of a loveless marriage. Stray Bullet is the gorgeous Nadine Labaki’s first feature since Caramel and it weaves together the struggles of the heart with the close, tense atmosphere of wartime Beirut. It screens with Mary, a tale of neighbourly espionage in Western Sydney.

On Sunday night we examine the Palestinian struggle from three unique perspectives. The boundary-pushing documentary This is My Picture When I Was Dead is an experimental and occasionally surreal film. It combines archival footage and photos with dramatic re-creations to delve into the history of the PLO. It screens with Into the Belly of the Whale, filmed in the tunnels below the border between Israel, Gaza and Egypt and Gaza Shield, about a group of Lebanese activists who express their politics in an online game.

Etihad – Your Ticket to the Arab World

Once again Etihad Airways has enabled the Arab Film Festival to take you inside the Arab world through their generous support.

“Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, is once again pleased to be part of the celebration of contemporary Arab film through sponsorship of the Arab Film Festival,” says Etihad’s Khadija Alnoufali. “The festival has now wrapped up in Sydney, Melbourne  and Canberra for another year and we hope that you were able to come along and enjoy some of the fascinating films touring the country.”

Etihad Airways flies to over 65 destinations across the world including many destinations in the Middle East. If you’ve been inspired to visit one of the fascinating destinations featured in this year’s Arab Film Festival, visit Etihad to plan your trip.

Tickets & Details

Book online or by phone: 08 8232 3434 – $18/15.50 full/concession

Last Stop on the National Tour

Check the full program and tour dates online

Hit us up

Fenella Kernebone, reported on ABC’s Art Nation: “It’s fantastic to be here tonight…in what is a very apt theme this year, “Revolution, Romance, Realities”… One of the most interesting elements is that a number of films in the festival highlight new media’s role, amplifying everyday voices and images across the globe. And one film that does exactly this is Gaza Shield.”

Reine Abbas posts of FB “Gaza Shield…….is rocking Australia……go Tania Khalaf.”

On FB Helen Abdalla says “Attended tonight’s screening of “cry of an ant “, what a fantastic movie. I hope we get to see more quality Arabic movies such as this in our cinemas more often.”

@hmul012 tweets “At the @arabfilmfestau at Cinema Nova waiting for films to begin..yay perfect way to end a gloomy winter sunday.”

@datakid23 tweets “I saw a wonderful film at @arabfilmfestau on Friday [Cry of an Ant], very funny very human big cheers.”

Have your say – join us on Twitter @arabfilmfestau and Facebook now.

Visit our website for the full festival program and national tour dates.

The thought-provoking program features the 12 films that have already inspired audiences in Parramatta and Melbourne. The program of films will take you inside the Arab imagination, taking on the issues that have sparked the Arab Spring.

See the full program online now.

A week of Arab storytelling

On Saturday 16 July we travel to Morocco on an adventure with a cheeky, street-smart 10 year old – Majid. It screens with Mary, a tale of neighbourly espionage in Western Sydney.

Our Saturday-night flick takes us to Iraq for Son of Babylon. Set just two weeks after the fall of Saddam Hussein, it follows a boy and his grandmother on their hunt for his father, missing since the Gulf War. Catch it with Habibti, peeping into cultural secrets in London. You have a second chance to see these acclaimed films on Thursday 21 July.

On Sunday 17 July see the boundary-pushing documentary This is My Picture When I Was Dead. This experimental, highly original and occasionally surreal film combines archival footage and photos with dramatic re-creations to delve into the history of the PLO. It screens with Gaza Shield, about a group of Lebanese activists who express their politics in an online game.

Sunday 18 July finds us in Lebanon, 1976, with Stray Bullet, following a 30-something woman on the verge of a loveless marriage. The film expertly weaves this struggle of the heart into the close, tense atmosphere of wartime Beirut. It’s Nadine Labaki’s first feature since Caramel. Catch it with Grandma a Thousand Times, a playful and poetic doco about a feisty Beiruti grandmother.

Tickets & Details

McCoy Circuit, Acton, ACT

Purchase tickets in person or book by phone: 02 6248 2000. Costs are $11/9 for full/concession, or $80 for a 10-Ticket Max Pass.

The National Tour

We round out our tour at the Dendy Cinemas Portside in Brisbane on Saturday 30 July and Sunday 31 July.

Check the full program and tour dates online.

Hit us up

David Hamilton says on FB: “I’ve heard so many great things about this festival all the way out here in Texas. Good work to all those involved.”

Dena Abdel-Fatah says on FB: “I highly recommend it. It is a really great Film Festival my husband and I loved it we sent our daughters the following day they loved it to. I wish I had the chance to watch each and every film.”

@mayouss says on Twitter: “thank you @arabfilmfestau for the laughs (no matter how small they were) and the cries (no matter how many). come back soon. #love #arabfilm”

Have your say – join us on Twitter @arabfilmfestau and Facebook now.

Visit our website for the full festival program and national tour dates.

After a fabulous season of revolution, romance and reality, the Arab Film Festival bids farewell to Sydney to tour the nation. Throughout July we’ll be heading to Melbourne (8–10 July), Canberra (14-21 July), Adelaide (23–24 July) and Brisbane (30–31 July) to bring Australia the very best of the fest.

Tickets are on sale now.

Heading for Melbourne

On Saturday night Stray Bullet, Nadine Labaki’s first feature since her riveting performance in Caramel, follows a 30-something woman on the verge of committing to a loveless marriage in 1976. The film expertly weaves this struggle of the heart into the close, tense atmosphere of wartime Beirut.

On Sunday catch the boundary-pushing documentary This is My Picture when I was Dead, plus Into the Belly of the Whale, set in the warren of tunnels below the border of Israel, Gaza and Egypt and Gaza Shield, following a team of activist designers who use a video game to spread their message.

Grab your tickets now!

The national tour

Next stop is the Palace Nova Eastend Cinema in Adelaide on Saturday 23 July and Sunday 24 July.

We round out our tour at the Dendy Cinemas Portside in Brisbane on Saturday 30 July and Sunday 31 July.

Check the full program and tour dates online

Sydney success

And most importantly the lively audiences who packed the Riverside Theatre and shared their opinions at our forum and Q&A sessions. We couldn’t do it without you!

Hit us up

@_Zahraa: ‘To the organisers of the @arabfilmfestau AMAZING work!! round of applause’

@andalusiya: ‘saw @TetaAlfMarra at @arabfilmfestau brilliant & a hit with all, I loved Um Mohammad so much, reminded us of all our tetas! @MahmoudKaabour’

@gemtgee: ‘How gorgeous is little Majid? 5 stars in my opinion! @arabfilmfestau #aff2011’

@NawafAljanahi: ‘A beautiful screening & an amazing audience today for the #Emirati #films at the @arabfilmfestau in #Sydney (#Australia).’

Have your say – join us on Twitter @arabfilmfestau and Facebook now.

Visit our website for the full festival program and national tour dates.

30 June 2011: In Cairo activists poured back into Tahrir Square demanding change. In Parramatta, the Arab Film Festival opened with a film that went straight to the heart of their concerns.

Congratulations to Maria Munzone who went home with two return tickets to Abu Dhabi flying Etihad Airways valued at $5,500! Have a wonderful trip.

The fun has only just begun!

Tonight at 8pm our Lebanese special presents Caramel star Nadine Labaki as she struggles with the question of marriage in Stray Bullet, showing with A Tuesday and Mary.

Tomorrow you don’t want to miss the chance to put your questions to our visiting directors from the UAE, joining us thanks to Etihad Airways. At 5pm Nawaf Al-Janahi will present his film The Circle, exploring the UAE underworld with a poet criminal. Then Khalid Al Mahmood will introduce his film Sabeel, following two young boys as they shoulder the responsibility of their ailing grandmother.

Our 8pm session takes you to Morocco to spend time with cheeky Majid.

It’s going to be a sell-out Sunday kicking off at 2pm with dramas and docos taking you from Gaza to the Palestinian refugee camp of Lebanon in the 1980s. We round out our Sydney season at 8pm Sunday with the celebrated Iraqi feature Son of Babylon, set two weeks after the fall of Saddam Hussein.

Tickets on sale now – don’t miss out!

Hit us up

Have your say – join us on Twitter @arabfilmfestau and Facebook now.

The Arab Film Festival is on at Parramatta Riverside Theatres from Thursday 30 June to Sunday 3 July followed by a national tour to Melbourne, Canberra, Adelaide and Brisbane concluding on 31 July. Check out the full program online.

We’re about to blast away your winter chills at the Arab Film Festival opening night party – with a firey feature film, toasty music from DJ Chadi and lots of sweet treats.

The Latest on our special guest

Unfortunately, due to poor health, our special guest director Sameh Abdel Aziz must cancel plans to introduce his film, The Cry of an Ant. But not to worry – it’s a film that speaks for itself. Shot during Cairo’s Tahrir Square rebellion in January, this daring look into the frustrations that fuelled the Arab Spring wowed the crowds at Cannes. Mr Abdel Aziz is extremely disappointed that he won’t be joining us but he encourages the Egyptian, Arab-speaking and wider community not to miss his acclaimed film, which was inspired and shot during the Egyptian revolution. Get your tickets now!

One festival-goer will WIN

Made possible with the kind support of Etihad Airways – a proud partner of the Arab Film Festival.

The Festival is HOT!!

From the barricades at Tahrir Square the Arab Film Festival will take you from Morocco to Kuwait, the UAE to the UK, from Tunisia to Iraq. We have an action-packed program featuring clever shorts, moving documentaries, stirring romance, action and of course, humour.

We have a number of international guests attending the festival so don’t miss your chance to check out their films and meet them on the night. We welcome to Australia from Dubai – Nawaf Al-Janahi, the director of The Circle, and Khalid Al Mahmood, the director of Sabeel. They are joined by Saro Carlwig who represents a talent agency based in the UAE. Meet them all on Saturday 2 July at 5pm. In addition we are excited to be welcoming Tania Khalaf who has flown in from United States and will be present for the World Premiere of her documentary Gaza Shield. Dont miss this session on Sunday 3 July at 5pm.

See the full program online

Check out the full program online

Spotlight on… Cairo Exit

Banned in Egypt, Cairo Exit takes a courageous look at the relationship between a Coptic Christian girl and her Muslim lover. When Amal discovers she is pregnant her lover Tarek issues a terrible ultimatum: abandon the country on an illegal boat crossing to Italy, or have an abortion. The film follows her into the darkest corners of the city as she struggles with her limited choices.

When Egyptian government censors demanded filmmaker Hesham Issawi make changes to his controversial script he refused. And as the Sydney Morning Herald put it, “It’s a challenge to make a film when you are on the run from the police.”

Heralding a bold new shift for contemporary Egyptian cinema, Cairo Exit is a gritty and uncompromising work from a major new cinematic talent. See it at 2pm Saturday 2 July.

See the trailer

Tickets on sale now – don’t miss out!

Hit us up

Have your say – join us on Twitter @arabfilmfestau and Facebook now.

The Arab Film Festival is on at Parramatta Riverside Theatres from Thursday 30 June to Sunday 3 July followed by a national tour to Melbourne, Canberra, Adelaide and Brisbane concluding on 31 July.

See the full program online

The Arab Film Festival Australia launches this Thursday 30 June with a crackerjack of a movie, followed by beats and treats at our fabulous festival party. Don’t miss out on tickets – book now.

Our explosive opening night feature comes fresh from Cannes. The Cry of an Ant explores the frustrations of ordinary Egyptians that exploded onto Tahrir Square last January. Director Sameh Abdel Aziz captured the revolution live, making this the first feature film to record the events of the Arab Spring.

Thanks to Etihad Airways, Sameh joins us at the festival and at the after party at Riverside Theatre. Get your tickets now!

This year’s program is packed with incredible stories, forums and visiting filmmakers that will take you straight to the heart of the changes gripping the Arab world.

“The Arab people are resilient, frustrated, survivors and have an amazing sense of humour,” says Festival Co-Director Fadia Abboud. “The people deal with crap on a daily basis but their hope and longing for a better and more uncensored future keeps them producing films and sharing stories that reflect the beauty of our complex and diverse culture.”

Spotlight on… This is My Picture When I Was Dead

Athens, 1983 – the press reports that top PLO lieutenant Mamoun Mraish has been assassinated. Tragically, his four-year-old son, Bashir, is also killed. But what if little Bashir Mraish had survived? He would now be 29 years old, perhaps a PR executive, living with his mother. Part history, part personal memoir, this inventive film pushes the limits of documentary making and imagines a son on a quest to understand the cause that took his father’s life. Bashir must dig through his past to witness the dream of a Palestinian state turning to dust.
In this experimental, highly original and occasionally surreal film, Mahmoud al Massad combines archival footage and photos with dramatic re-creations to delve into the history of the PLO. His work redefines what a documentary can be, with fascinating results.

Tickets on sale now – don’t miss out!

Hit us up!

What’s the buzz on online? Saber Media says on Facebook ‘So much has happened in the Arab world since last year’s Arab Film Festival. Do not miss out this year’s Arab Film Festival Australia’.

Show us your love on Twitter @arabfilmfestau and Facebook now!

The Arab Film Festival is on at Parramatta Riverside Theatres from Thursday 30 June to Sunday 3 July and then we take off on the national tour Melbourne, Canberra, Brisbane and Adelaide. Check out our full program online.

How do you film a live revolution for a feature film? Or get inside the criminal underworld of the UAE? This is your chance to put the big questions to some of the finest filmmakers in the Arab world. Thanks to Etihad, the Arab Film Festival welcomes four filmmakers at the Arab Film Festival. Get your tickets now!

Sameh Abdel Aziz

Nawaf Al-Janahi

Khalid Al Mahmoud

Mohammed Ahmed Hassan, writer of Sabeel. His work is known for its imagery and poetry. He’s an award winning screen writer and his works represented the United Arab Emirates in festivals internationally.

Tickets for the Arab Film Festival are selling fast – don’t miss out!  Hit the website for full details.

FORUM: Revolution, Romance, Realities

Revolution is in the air and nations from Tunisia to Syria have been thrown into a state of unprecedented political and cultural change. Much of it has been triggered by young Arab people demanding freedom and using new media to get their messages out.

Join us for a free two-hour forum on how digital media has amplified this global mass movement at 4pm on Friday 1 July @ Switch Digital Arts Centre, 8 Victoria Road, Parramatta. The panel, led by Dr Paula Abood, will include Randa Abdel Fattah (author, human rights lawyer and social commentator), Farid Farid aka MC Shedeed (academic, writer and spoken word artist) and Egypt’s Sameh Abdel Aziz (director of The Cry of An Ant).

RSVP to info@arabfilmfestival.com.au.

For more information download flier.

Spotlight on… Majid

Winner of best screenplay at the Moroccan National Film Festival, this brilliantly observed and acted film marks the debut of a bevy of new talent, from the young Moroccan director Nassim Abassi to child star Brahim al Bakali. Check out the trailer.

Check out the full program…

Festival Co-Director Mouna Zaylah says this year’s program matches emotional impact with cultural and thematic diversity. “We are mixing it up with a collection of shorts, documentaries and features,” she says. “They come from Australia, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Kuwait, UAE, Jordan, Palestine, Lebanon, France, Canada, United Kingdom, The Netherlands, USA, Egypt, Syria and Iraq.”

The Arab Film Festival is on at Parramatta Riverside Theatres from Thursday 30 June to Sunday 3 July and then we take off to Melbourne, Canberra, Adelaide and Brisbane. Check out the full program!

What’s the buzz on Twitter?

Parramatta City Council

The festival’s explosive opening on 30 June with The Cry of an Ant takes us straight to Tahrir Square – shot during the Egyptian Revolution of January 2011. The film reveals the struggle of Egyptian daily life that drew millions onto the streets this year. Grab your tickets now!!

Sameh Abdel Aziz will join us in Sydney

Get your tickets now

Connect with us

“On our screens daily we see the Arab people out on the streets, with limited choices, a future uncertain, but their hands are up in the air,” says festival Co-Director Fadia Abboud. “Whether they are holding up slogans or recording things as they happen on mobile phones, they are inspiring the next wave … inspiring the themes that will soon be represented on our screens.”

What’s the buzz on Twitter? @ZenithShopSite says “pretty exciting program #Australia!” Join us on Twitter or Facebook to post your top picks and hear the latest news.

Etihad – From Abu Dhabi to the world

Free Forum – Reel intelligence, raw gossip, and reflective responses …..

Friday 2 July, 4-6pm @ Switch Digital Arts Centre

2011 started with a revolutionary bang on the streets and in the squares of Tunisia and Egypt, with protests erupting in Bahrain, Yemen, Libya, Oman, Jordan and Syria. Join us as we explore the political and cultural shifts triggered by young people in the Arab world whose demands for freedom, justice and dignity have been a unifying call.

This special forum will address how new media has facilitated a critical mass movement, amplifying everyday voices, transmitting images globally. Conversation/s led by Dr Paula Abood with guest speakers Randa Abdel Fattah (Author, human rights lawyer and social commentator), Farid Farid aka MC Shedeed (Academic, writer and spoken word artist), and international guest Sameh Abdel Aziz (Director of The Cry of an Ant). For more information download flier

Spotlight on: Son of Babylon

Our closing night spectacular on 3 July has swept up prizes at film festivals around the world this year.

Son of Babylon takes us to northern Iraq in 2003. It’s two weeks after the fall of Saddam Hussein and 12-year-old Ahmed and his grandmother journey from Kurdistan through the shattered country. They are trying to find Ahmed’s father who has been missing since he was conscripted into Saddam’s army a decade before. The pair journey onward, not knowing if they will find Ahmed’s father in a newly opened prison camp, or one of the mass graves that reveal the hidden horror of Saddam’s regime. Watch the trailer.

Beautifully directed by Mohamed Al-Daradji, Son of Babylon has won fans from Sundance to Berlin, fulfilling audiences as both a cinematic and emotional experience. It is a rugged road movie, a story of hope and forgiveness; one that palpably, and with great humanity, illustrates the reality for many Iraqi and Kurdish people in the aftermath of Saddam’s reign.

Grab your tickets now – don’t miss out!

4-6pm

Switch Digital Arts Centre (8 Victoria Road, Parramatta)

2011 started with a revolutionary bang on the streets and in the squares of Tunisia and Egypt, with protests erupting in Bahrain, Yemen, Libya, Oman, Jordan and Syria. Join us as we explore the political and cultural shifts triggered by young people in the Arab world whose demands for freedom, justice and dignity have been a unifying call. This special forum will address how new media has facilitated a critical mass movement, amplifying everyday voices, transmitting images globally.

Conversation(s) led by Dr Paula Abood – Community Cultural Development Practitioner, Writer and Activist

Reel intelligence, raw gossip, and reflective responses by Randa Abdel Fattah (Author, Human Rights Lawyer and Social Commentator) and Farid Farid aka MC Shedeed (Academic, Writer and Spoken Word Artist).

Free. Refreshments provided. Bookings essential.

Please rsvp to info@arabfilmfestival.com.au.

Join us at Riverside Theatres, Parramatta from Thursday 30 June to Sunday 3 July before we hit the road on our national tour to Melbourne, Canberra, Adelaide and Brisbane in July.

Opening Night 30 June takes us straight to the barricades of Tahrir Square with The Cry of an Ant, the first feature film to address the Egyptian Revolution of January 2011. Gouda Al Masri loves his country, but fuelled by unemployment, humiliation and police corruption, he decides to fight back. Director Sameh Abdel Aziz fly in from Egypt to join us for the Australasian Premiere. Tickets are on sale now and they always sell fast – hit the website for full details.

“This year the Arab world is standing up, voices of the people are getting louder and firmer,” says Festival Co-director Mouna Zaylah. “Our audience will surely enjoy our film selection. We have something for everyone. Films that talk about the revolution, the romance and the realities of the Arab people, both in the Arab world and living in the diaspora.”

Spotlight on…Stray Bullet

It’s the end of summer 1976 in the northern suburbs of Beirut, and Noha is getting married. But 15 days before the wedding, Noha changes her mind. Things get complicated when a former lover reappears in her life, while she finds herself trapped in the close, anxious atmosphere of wartime Beirut. Taking the Muhr Arab Feature prize at the Dubai International Film Festival, Stray Bullet is a poignant psychological drama juxtaposing family drama with the tension of war. The session also features the revealing work of Sydney’s own filmmakers Fatima Mawas.

Tickets on sale now – don’t miss out!

Check the website for full details

Explore your love of the finest films from around the world all year at SBS FILM. SBS presents the absolute best in world movies on two channels – SBS ONE and SBS TWO, while online; sbs.com.au/film has an international round up of reviews, trailers, local and international festival news and film information.

From the mountains of Kurdistan to the sands of Babylon, the two of them hitch rides from strangers and cross paths with fellow pilgrims, on all-too-similar journeys. Struggling to understand his grandmother’s search, Ahmed follows in the forgotten footsteps of a father he never knew.

Beautifully directed by Mohamed Al-Daradji, and featuring a magnificent performance from young Yasser Talib as Ahmed, Son of Babylon is fulfilling as both a cinematic and emotional experience. It is a rugged road movie, a story of hope and forgiveness; one that palpably, and with great humanity, illustrates reality for many Iraqi and Kurdish people in the aftermath of Hussein’s reign.

FESTIVALS

• Variety’s Middle Eastern Filmmaker of Year 2010 – Mohamed Al-Daradji
• Winner, Raindance British Independent Film Award
• Official Selection Sundance IFF World Cinema Dramatic Competition
• Official Selection Berlin International Film Festival, Panorama and Generation X
• Winner of Amnesty Film Award and Peace Award
• Winner of Seattle International Film Festival, Emerging Master Award
• Official Selection Competition Edinburgh International Film Festival, Special Mention
• Winner of Artistic Achievement Award, Cinema City International Film Festival
• Winner of Grand Jury Prize, Brussels Mediterranean International Film Festival
• Official Selection Sydney Film Festival
• Official selection Melbourne Film Festival

Watch the trailer

www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbNfnnKEDmg

FESTIVALS

• European First Film Festival, 2011
• Tangier Mediterranean Short Film Festival, 2010
• Best filmmaker, Romantic Film Festival of Cabourg, 2010
• Prize of Excellence, Università di Corsica of the Mediterranean short-film nights, 2010

FESTIVALS

• First Prize, Muhr Arab – Documentary, Dubai International Film Festival, 2010
• International Documentary Film Festival, Amsterdam, 2010

Gaza Shield follows three unconventional Lebanese artists as they seek to protest the injustices of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict by developing a conscientious online video game.

FESTIVALS

• Chicago Palestinian Film Festival, 2011
• Mideast Film Festival, 2011
• Toronto Palestine Film Festival 2011, Toronto
• Arab Film Festival Australia 2011, Australia
• Tetouan International Film Festival 2011, Morocco
• Huston Palestine Film Festival 2011, USA
• Ann Arbor Palestine Film Festival 2011, USA
• Tampere Film Festival 2011, Finland
• Chicago Palestine Film Festival 2011, USA
• London Palestine Film Festival 2011, UK
• Clermont-Ferrand Int’l Short Film Festival 2011, France
• IDFA 2010, Netherlands
• San Francisco Arab Film Festival 2010, USA
• Ayam Beirut Al Cinema’iya 2010, Lebanon
• Boston Palestine Film Festival 2010, USA
• Jordan Short Film Festival 2010, Jordan
• Kazan Film Festival 2010, Russia

FESTIVALS

• Abu Dhabi Film Festival, 2010

Watch the trailer

www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxIMBo3vkUw

FESTIVALS

• Audience Award, Best Documentary and Jury Special Mention, Doha Tribeca Film Festival, 2010
• Best Documentary, London Documentary Film Festival, 2011
• Audience Award, Best International Documentary, Dox Box Film Festival, 2011

Watch the trailer

www.youtube.com/watch?v=DpvOKewvlgs

FESTIVALS

• Documenta Madrid 2011
• Human Rights Festival, Lebanon 2011
• Human Rights Film Festival, Karama 2011
• Arab Film Festival, Calgary 2011
• Refugee Film Festival, Japan 2011

FESTIVALS

• Colourfest, 2011

Matteo, a young man of Italian origin, has come with his parents to ask Nina to marry him. Her family comes from the Maghreb, and he’s hoping to pop the question the way her family expects it to be done, with the traditional rodba. There’s a lot riding on this moment and tensions rise even further when Nina’s younger sister Ayah decides to use it as a training ground for her great ambition – to become a film director. Ayah will risk everything to capture the biggest moment of her sister’s life, even if it risks derailing her big day.

FESTIVALS

• Abu Dhabi Film Festival 2010

FESTIVALS

• Special Jury Prize, Muhr Arab Shorts, Dubai International Film Festival, 2010
• Audience Award, Youth Jury Award, Festival of Aix en Provence, 2010
• Audience Award of Midi Libre, Mediterranean Film Festival of Montpellier, 2010
• Golden Colt, Panafrican Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou

FESTIVALS

• Dubai International Film Festival, 2010
• Best Screenplay Award, Moroccan National Film Festival 2011

Watch the trailer

www.youtube.com/watch?v=iP4Qy-O6ak4

FESTIVALS

• Gulf Film Festival, UAE, 2009
• The International Arab Film Festival of Oran, Algeria, 2001
• Dubai International Film Festival, UAE, 2009
• Taormina Film Festival, Italy, 2009
• International Film Festival of Rabat, Morocco, 2010

Watch the trailer

www.youtube.com/watch?v=8BIJFwfw6e0

FESTIVALS

• Doha Tribeca Film Festival, 2011

FESTIVALS

• Second Prize, Muhr Emirati, Dubai International Film Festival, 2010
• Script prize, Gulf Film Festival, 2010
• Best Short Film at The New York Film Eurasian Festival, 2010
• Locarno Film Festival, 2010
• Berlinale, 2011
• Santa Cruz Film Festival, 2011

Amal Iskander is an 18-year-old Coptic girl, living in Bashtel, in the slums of Cairo. Her Muslim boyfriend Tarek is planning to leave Egypt on an illegal boat-crossing to Italy. Amal tells Tarek she is pregnant but he gives her an ultimatum – abandon the country with him, or have an abortion. Despite her love for Tarek, Amal rejects both choices.

Amal cannot bear to consider the future she faces as a poor woman in Egypt, reflected in the lives of her sister and best friend: one makes grave sacrifices so her son can have a better life, while the other prepares for a surgery to feign her virginity so she can enter into a loveless marriage to an older, wealthy foreigner.

But when Amal is fired from her job her already-precarious future looks bleak. In desperation, she takes a low-paid job as a hairdresser, a job which leads her into a seedy underworld of crime and vice. Is it too late for Amal to escape the sordid, dead-end world of exploitation and misery in Cairo’s darkest corners? Even as Amal actively seeks out opportunities for self-sufficiency, it is ultimately fate that will determine her path.

FESTIVALS

• Dubai International Film Festival, 2010
• Tribeca Film Festival, 2011
• Amsterdam Arab Film Festival, 2011

Watch the trailer

www.youtube.com/watch?v=csvcjjMuajw

FESTIVALS

• Dubai International Film Festival, 2011
• European Independent Film Festival, 2011

FESTIVALS

• Dubai International Film Festival, 2011