Probing the Recent Rioting in France
Co-presented by the New York Chapter of the American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADCNY)

Games of Love and Chance (L'Esquive) by Abdellatif Kechiche. France 2004, 117 min, 35 mm
Many media portraits of Paris’ racially mixed suburban (banlieue) outskirts, inhabited mostly by disadvantaged North Africans, have predictably tended to focus on crime and violence in this environment. But Games of Love and Chance, the second film from Tunisian-born, French-educated director Abdellatif Kechiche, adopts a rewardingly different approach: a sensitive observational portrait of young love that focuses on the decency and humanity of characters who are too often reduced to cliché in other films. Restless 15-year-old Krimo develops a crush on lovely and diva-esque classmate Lydia and manages to get himself cast opposite her in a school play in order to win her affection. The 18th century French comedy they rehearse highlights the stark contrasts between the lives of the immigrant kids and the counterparts outside the ghetto. This film recently swept the Césars (the French equivalent to the Oscars), winning awards for Best French Film, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay and Best Upcoming Actress. In French with English subtitles.

Post-screening discussion with Farid Laroussi (Yale University), James McDougall (Princeton University), and Asli Bali (ADC-NY and Princeton University).

Co-sponsored by the American University of Beirut

We Loved Each Other So Much by Jack Janssen. The Netherlands/Lebanon, 2003, 80 min, Beta SP New York Premiere
Crafted from the testimonies of Beirutis' love for Lebanon's quintessential diva,
Fairouz, We Loved Each Other So Much is a poignant examination of the lingering trauma of the country’s civil war, with its tapestry of pluralities and contradictions. Through the music and the myths that grew around Fairouz, Beirutis tell their life stories and narrate the tragic, stirring history of their city. Their reminiscences, combined with Fairouz's songs and legacy, all come together to render a spontaneous and insightful document of postwar Lebanese society. In Arabic with English subtitles.

Post-screening discussion with director Jack Janssen and Chris Stone (Hunter College)
Followed by a reception hosted by the American University of Beirut

Arna's Children by Juliano Mer Khamis and Danniel Danniel. 2003, 84 min, Digibeta

The international award-winning documentary tells the moving story of Arna Mer (1929-1995) who led in the last years of her life a small theater group of Palestinian children in the West Bank refugee camp of Jenin. Her son Juliano, who directed the group, used his camera all those years to film the rehearsals and performances of the plays. The theater was destroyed during the Israeli military excursions in the West Bank in 2002, and the theater closed down. Back in Jenin, Juliano discovers, little by little, the tragic story of the theater children who were so dear to him.

Post-screening discussion with director Juliano Mer Khemis and Issa Mikel (ADC-NY)

Sponsored by the Faculty for Israeli-Palestinian Peace. Co-presented by the New York Chapter of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADCNY)

A Special Program in conjunction with the Persian Arts Festival

Mama’s Guest (Mehman-o-Maman) by Dariush Mehrjui. Iran, 2004, 108 min, 35 mm New York Premiere
Iranian New Wave cinema icon Dariush Mehrjui crafts an artful tale with beguiling skill and mastery. The arrival of her nephew and his new bride throws poor Mrs Effat into a crisis. Her larder is too meager to do them honor and she is too proud to lose face. Through self-pity and manipulation, she eventually involves her entire bickering apartment complex in her dilemma. But what begins as comedic farce evolves into something more compassionate: we come to understand each neighbor's struggle and means for coping. All may be poor and even willfully self-deluded, but for one night at least, they create a small miracle of food and happiness on behalf of Mrs. Effat's guest. In Persian with English subtitles.

Celebrating Persian arts and culture. Persian Arts Festival, March 2006, New York City. For more information visit www.persianartsfestival.org

A tribute to legendary actor Ahmed Zaki on the first anniversary of his death.

His Excellency, The Minister (Maali al-Wazir) by Samir Seif. Egypt, 2003, 120 min, 35 mm US Premiere
In his last film to be screened commercially before his death, the impossibly talented Ahmed Zaki takes us to the dark world of official corruption in Egypt. In His Excellency, The Minister, Zaki brilliantly plays the part of Mr. Rustom, who after being mistakenly appointed to the ministerial cabinet due to a confusion of names, uses his position of power to illegally amass a huge fortune. The film investigates the price that Mr. Rustom pays for such power manipulation, which ultimately leads him to suffer from intense alienation from his family and friends. Through the tribulations of Rustom, the film takes an audacious and critical stance towards the current political situation in Egypt. In Arabic with English subtitles.

Post-screening discussion with Karim Tertousieh (NYU) and Mona Eltahawy (journalist, NYC)

Cinema East is a collaborative project of ArteEast, Inc., the Department of Middle Eastern & Islamic Studies and the Kevorkian Center at NYU. This program is supported in part by the NYS Council on the Arts and the New York City’s Department of Cultural Affairs. It is sponsored by the American University of Beirut and The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee's New York Chapter. Additional support is provided by Persian Arts Festival, the Egyptian Ministry of Culture; and Print Icon.