New Cinemas of the Arab World: Film Festival and Symposium
2-8 April, 2007 (University of Edinburgh)
This programme was a high-profile project to bring a selection of the most compelling cinematic works to emerge in the last two years from the diverse cinema cultures of the Arab world to a UK audience. The programme screened 11 recent film works representative of new directions and trends in the cinemas of the Arab world, including recent award-winning films as well as the UK debuts of several works. The screenings were held at the Edinburgh Filmhouse, and a selection of films also screened at the Manchester Cornerhouse Cinema. The award-winning filmmakers Ghassan Salhab and Nida Sinnokrot attended the festival to present their films. A one-day symposium was also held at the University of Edinburgh.
This film festival was sponsored by the EU-funded MedScreen project, in collaboration with Beirut DC, a Lebanese cinema organization. The symposium was sponsored by CASAW, as well as the University of Edinburgh (School of Languages Literatures and Cultures), the Edinburgh Institute for the Study of Islam and the Arab World.
The programme organizer was Dr Kamran Rastegar, lecturer at the University of Edinburgh. Programming at the Edinburgh Filmhouse was carried out by James McKenzie. The overall coordinator for the programme was L. Stephanie Tait, PhD candidate at the University of Edinburgh.
FILM FESTIVAL (Edinburgh Filmhouse):
Making Of: The Last Film (dir. Nouri Bouzid) Tunisia/2006
What a Wonderful World (dir. Faouzi Bensaidi) France, Germany & Morocco/2006
Zozo (dir. Joseph Fares) Sweden / UK / Denmark
Barakat! (dir. Djamila Sahraoui) Algeria, France/2005/
I Am the One Who Brings Flowers to Her Grave (dir Hala Al Abdalla) Syria/2006
These Girls (dir. Tahani Rached) Egypt/2006
The Place I Call Home (dir. Tamer Ezzat) Egypt/2006
VHS: Kahloucha (dir. Nejib Belkadhi)Tunisia/2006
Palestine Blues (dir. Nida Sinnokrot)Palestine/2005
The Last Man (dir. Ghassan Salhab)Lebanon & France/2005
Leisure Time (dir. Mohamed Mostafa)Egypt / 2006
SYMPOSIUM:
In addition, a public symposium comprising a selection the foremost academic specialists working in the subject of Arab cinema will be held at the University of Edinburgh, presenting discussions on issues relating to new Arab cinemas..
The symposium was held on 7 April 2007 in the Raeburn Room of the University of Edinburgh Old College. Participants in the programme, and the paper titles are as follow:
- Ms Antonia Carver (Dubai, UAE, Independent film programmer, critic and editor) Presentation of New Video Works From the Arab World; and European Funding of Arab Cinemas
- Dr Kay Dickenson (Goldsmiths, University of London) The Arab Cinema Tourist Experience
- Dr Lina Khatib (Royal Holloway, University of London) Lebanese Cinema and Exile
- Dr Mohamed-Salah Omri (University of Exeter) Cinema and Islam in the Maghreb
- Dr Kamran Rastegar (University of Edinburgh) National Aspirations in Globalised Cinemas: New Palestinian and Kurdish Cinemas- Ms Rasha Salti (Independent scholar, writer and film curator) Contemporary Film Production in the Arab World: The Quiet Revolution, Digital Technology and the Thousand Blossoms (cancelled due to illness)
- Mr Nida Sinnokrot (USA/Palestine, independent filmmaker) Aesthetics and Politics in Palestinian Documentary Filmmaking
