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.

A lively crowd filled the Riverside Theatre as we launched the Arab Film Festival Australia 2011, screening The Cry of an Ant and debating it afterwards at the opening party.

 

 

 

 

 

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!

Your weekend is packed with 21 films from across the Arab world.

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

What’s the buzz on AFFA? @AbiMoustafa: “Had a fabulous time at the @arabfilmfestau last night! Had the pleasure of interviewing Lebanese Filmmaker @taniakhalaf &ABCJourno @fenellak!”

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.