Stories from the front: Arab Film Festival Launched

The national program for the 2011 Arab Film Festival has been launched with a selection of films that take the pulse of the Arab world in a time of incredible change. Presenting twenty-two front-line stories from Morocco to Iraq and beyond, this year’s program is a round-up of the best films coming out during this Arab Spring.

Showcasing the fascinating cultural shifts reshaping our world, many of these films are hot out of the Middle East and north Africa and others have been presented at major recent festivals including Cannes, Dubai, Berlin and Sundance.

“Because of the extraordinary number of films emerging out of the Arab Spring, we have been unable to finalise this year’s program until now. Our program aims to not only take our audience into the hearts and homes of these people as they are today, it also aims to generate public debate and encourage further understanding between Arab and non-Arab audiences,” said festival co-director Mouna Zaylah.

Opening night on 30 June takes us straight to the barricades with Sarkhat Namla (The Cry of an Ant), the first feature film to address the Egyptian Revolution this year. Filmed on the ground during the protests in Tahrir Square, director Sameh Abdelaziz moved quickly to capture the historic events as they unfolded simultaneously with his story of one man’s fight for civil justice. Audiences can then meet the director at the festival opening.

“We’re mixing it up with a collection of shorts, documentaries and features from across the international landscape including Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Kuwait, UAE, Jordan, Palestine, Lebanon, France, Canada, United Kingdom, The Netherlands, USA, Egypt, Syria, Iraq and of course, Australia,” said festival co-director Fadia Abboud.

Another highlight of the festival is Stray Bullet, where we see Lebanese actress Nadine Labaki struggle with marriage compromises in her first role since the internationally acclaimed Caramel. Into the Belly of the Whale is also sure to capture the imaginations of audiences as we follow a man trapped in the perilous supply tunnels under the border zone between Israel and Egypt.

Local filmmakers Fatima Mawas and Haidor Noor will introduce their films Mary, a story of neighbourly espionage in Western Sydney, and Show and Tell, which examines the link between object and memory of recently arrived refugees in Sydney.

The festival concludes with the multi-award winning road movie Son of Babylon, set two weeks after the fall of Saddam Hussein, a story of a 12-year-old boy who begrudgingly follows his grandmother on a quest through a shattered Iraq to find his father.

“These films are going to make you laugh and cry, and they will surely take you on a journey,” said festival co-director Fadia Abboud. “Our program allows audiences to celebrate the strength and resilience of the Arab people and celebrate the talent of the filmmakers.”

The Arab Film Festival is managed by Information and Cultural Exchange (ICE), driven by a volunteer organising committee and supported by Parramatta City Council. In 2011 the festival celebrates its 10th birthday, having brought Arab cinema to an audience exceeding 15,000 throughout Australia.

The festival runs from Thursday 30 June to Sunday 3 July. After Parramatta, the festival hits Melbourne, Canberra, Adelaide and Brisbane in July.

SYDNEY 30 June – 3 July Riverside Theatres Parramatta

MELBOURNE 8-10 July Cinema Nova, Carlton

CANBERRA 14-17 July National Film and Sound Archive

ADELAIDE 23-24 July Palace Nova Eastend Cinemas

BRISBANE 30-31 July Dendy Cinemas Portside

TICKET PRICES start from $10 each – please go to the Tickets and Venue section for more information.

MEDIA CONTACT: nick@arabfilmfestival.com.au or phone Nicholas Pickard on 0412 212 291