Rather than provide a retrospective of Arab films from the past few years, this programme – inspired by this year's region of focus at the Black Night Film Festival – is meant to provide a snapshot of some of the emerging talents and short films emerging from the area over the past year.
For someone from Western Europe, there are certain clichés that are associated with the Arab world that can be hard to shake, but while putting together this programme, I saw many of these clichés subverted. While the films presented here deal with weighty issues such as occupation, national identity and gender politics, there is also warm human drama and gentle, satirical humour.
The wonderful thing about cinema is that it opens our eyes to other places and other people, though the term 'other' can be problematic as it infers an almost unassailable divide. Aside from showcasing a small selection of talented filmmakers, these films close this divide somewhat as we experience not only the things that are culturally and politically unique but also the things that unite us.
Amphitheater
Director: Mahdi Ali Ali
Qatar
Year: 2018
Film duration: 00:16
Arabic
Following a sudden disagreement, a Qatari girl runs away from her controlling father during a family day out.
Goin South
Director: Mohammed Alhamoud
Saudi Arabia
Year: 2019
Film duration: 00:14
Arabic
A newlywed couple pays their first visit to the groom's hometown, a small southern Saudi village, where they will celebrate their marriage. Nervous and desperate for her in-laws' approval, the bride, Ayah, makes a daring choice, while her husband, Nader, tries to cope with the consequences. The new relationship is put to its first test.
Maradona’s Legs
Director: Firas Khoury
Germany
Year: 2019
Film duration: 00:20
Arabic
During the 1990 World Cup, two young Palestinian boys are looking for “Maradona’s legs”; the last missing sticker that they need in order to complete their world cup album and win a free Atari.
Contact
Director: Samir Syriani
Lebanon
Year: 2019
Film duration: 00:21
Arabic
A sniper, living alone on a country's border, shoots refugees attempting to cross and collects their items for survival. One day, he finds a tape of his victim's war diary and begins to listen to it.
Maryam
Director: Mohammed Alhammadi
United Arab Emirates
Year: 2019
Film duration: 00:22
Arabic
An young Emirati woman dreams of becoming an actress, but her dreams clash with her conservative family’s efforts to get her married.
Arab Focus: Live-Action
Arab Focus: Live-Action
Genre
Shorts
Run time
1h 33min
Genre
Shorts
Run time
1h 33min
Rather than provide a retrospective of Arab films from the past few years, this programme – inspired by this year's region of focus at the Black Night Film Festival – is meant to provide a snapshot of some of the emerging talents and short films emerging from the area over the past year.
For someone from Western Europe, there are certain clichés that are associated with the Arab world that can be hard to shake, but while putting together this programme, I saw many of these clichés subverted. While the films presented here deal with weighty issues such as occupation, national identity and gender politics, there is also warm human drama and gentle, satirical humour.
The wonderful thing about cinema is that it opens our eyes to other places and other people, though the term 'other' can be problematic as it infers an almost unassailable divide. Aside from showcasing a small selection of talented filmmakers, these films close this divide somewhat as we experience not only the things that are culturally and politically unique but also the things that unite us.
Amphitheater
Director: Mahdi Ali Ali
Qatar
Year: 2018
Film duration: 00:16
Arabic
Following a sudden disagreement, a Qatari girl runs away from her controlling father during a family day out.
Goin South
Director: Mohammed Alhamoud
Saudi Arabia
Year: 2019
Film duration: 00:14
Arabic
A newlywed couple pays their first visit to the groom's hometown, a small southern Saudi village, where they will celebrate their marriage. Nervous and desperate for her in-laws' approval, the bride, Ayah, makes a daring choice, while her husband, Nader, tries to cope with the consequences. The new relationship is put to its first test.
Maradona’s Legs
Director: Firas Khoury
Germany
Year: 2019
Film duration: 00:20
Arabic
During the 1990 World Cup, two young Palestinian boys are looking for “Maradona’s legs”; the last missing sticker that they need in order to complete their world cup album and win a free Atari.
Contact
Director: Samir Syriani
Lebanon
Year: 2019
Film duration: 00:21
Arabic
A sniper, living alone on a country's border, shoots refugees attempting to cross and collects their items for survival. One day, he finds a tape of his victim's war diary and begins to listen to it.
Maryam
Director: Mohammed Alhammadi
United Arab Emirates
Year: 2019
Film duration: 00:22
Arabic
An young Emirati woman dreams of becoming an actress, but her dreams clash with her conservative family’s efforts to get her married.
For someone from Western Europe, there are certain clichés that are associated with the Arab world that can be hard to shake, but while putting together this programme, I saw many of these clichés subverted. While the films presented here deal with weighty issues such as occupation, national identity and gender politics, there is also warm human drama and gentle, satirical humour.
The wonderful thing about cinema is that it opens our eyes to other places and other people, though the term 'other' can be problematic as it infers an almost unassailable divide. Aside from showcasing a small selection of talented filmmakers, these films close this divide somewhat as we experience not only the things that are culturally and politically unique but also the things that unite us.
Amphitheater
Director: Mahdi Ali Ali
Qatar
Year: 2018
Film duration: 00:16
Arabic
Following a sudden disagreement, a Qatari girl runs away from her controlling father during a family day out.
Goin South
Director: Mohammed Alhamoud
Saudi Arabia
Year: 2019
Film duration: 00:14
Arabic
A newlywed couple pays their first visit to the groom's hometown, a small southern Saudi village, where they will celebrate their marriage. Nervous and desperate for her in-laws' approval, the bride, Ayah, makes a daring choice, while her husband, Nader, tries to cope with the consequences. The new relationship is put to its first test.
Maradona’s Legs
Director: Firas Khoury
Germany
Year: 2019
Film duration: 00:20
Arabic
During the 1990 World Cup, two young Palestinian boys are looking for “Maradona’s legs”; the last missing sticker that they need in order to complete their world cup album and win a free Atari.
Contact
Director: Samir Syriani
Lebanon
Year: 2019
Film duration: 00:21
Arabic
A sniper, living alone on a country's border, shoots refugees attempting to cross and collects their items for survival. One day, he finds a tape of his victim's war diary and begins to listen to it.
Maryam
Director: Mohammed Alhammadi
United Arab Emirates
Year: 2019
Film duration: 00:22
Arabic
An young Emirati woman dreams of becoming an actress, but her dreams clash with her conservative family’s efforts to get her married.
Info
Rating
(none)
Production year
2019
Global distributor
--
Local distributor
Pimedate Ööde Filmifestival MTÜ
In cinema
11/27/2019