With just three weeks to go, tickets for the Arab Film Festival are selling fast
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
Don’t miss your chance to meet The Cry of an Ant director Sameh Abdel Aziz, fresh from Cannes, and flown in direct from Cairo thanks to Etihad Airways. Abdel Aziz, winner of the 2009 award for the best director in Africa, moved quickly to capture the moment in history as it unfolded on the ground in early 2011. He sees his film as a testament to the bravery of the protesters who spoke out against the brutality of Mubarak’s regime. Meet him in person at the screening and opening night party on 30 June.
Connect with us
The Arab Film Festival will continue to bring thought-provoking themes to the screen through four days of fantastic films. Join us at Parramatta Riverside Theatres from Thursday 30 June to Sunday 3 July for an outstanding program that takes us from Morocco to Kuwait and also showcases Arab filmmakers here in Australia. Check out the program!“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
Our thanks to Etihad Airways for bringing The Cry of an Ant director Sameh Abdel Aziz to Australia for our the screening and opening of the Festival on 30 June. Etihad has supported AFFA since our early days, helping us to bring Arab culture to the wider world. In the same way, Etihad brings Arab culture to everyone who flies with them, treating each guest with the warmth of Arab hospitality.
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!
