Join us for the next screening in the Arab Film Series online! ArteEast partnered with the Arab American National Museum, the Arab Film and Media Institute, and Cinetopia Film Festival, to bring together a wide range of new and classic films by Arab and Arab American filmmakers.
Mark your calendars for May 2nd @ 2pm EDT for the Arab World Shorts Program
RSVP to receive streaming link http://arabamericanmuseum.org/arab-film-series
All films are in Arabic with English subtitles.
Arab World Shorts Program
2 p.m. EDT Saturday, May 2, 2020
FREE
RSVP for Streaming Link: http://arabamericanmuseum.org/arab-film-series
With everything going on in the world right now, taking a detour through great cinema can be a helpful escape. These short films, all screened at a previous AANM Arab Film Festival, tackle serious issues through elements of comedy and animation. Whether taking us on an out-of-body experience, exploring a lifestyle change or dealing with unexpected visitors, these beautiful short films give us a glimpse into the complex problems and interesting situations we can find ourselves in.
All films in Arabic and/or English with English subtitles. Total runtime: 61 minutes.
Directors Basil Khalil (Ave Maria) and Khalid Salim (Veganize It!) will appear via Skype for a post-film talkback.
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“Aziza” (2019) dir. Soudade Kaadan
Lebanon, Syria / 13 minutes / PG-13
Comedy, Drama
Ayman, a Syrian refugee in Lebanon, is teaching his wife how to drive his car, the only thing left for him from his country. The lesson takes a wrong turn into madness and nostalgia.
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“Language” (2017) dir. Mortada Gzar
Iraq / 12 minutes / PG
Animation
Used to reading and printing Braille, a blind man in Baghdad becomes a giant and finds he can “read” the scars of his bombarded city just as he reads texts – and can send messages by creating scars of his own.
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“Waves ’98” (2015) dir. Ely Dagher
Lebanon, Qatar / 15 minutes / PG-13
Animation
Disillusioned with his life in the suburbs of segregated Beirut, Omar’s discovery lures him into the depths of the city. Immersed into a world that is so close yet so isolated from his reality, he eventually finds himself struggling to keep his attachments and sense of home.
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“Ave Maria” (2015) dir. Basil Khalil
Palestine / 14 minutes / PG-13
Comedy
The silent routine of five Palestinian nuns in the West Bank wilderness is disrupted when a family of Israeli settlers comes to their door for help after crashing into the convent wall. They can’t make a phone call for assistance due to Sabbath laws, and the nuns have taken a vow of silence. Together they must come up with an unorthodox plan to help the family get home.
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“Veganize It!” (2015) dir. Khalid Salim
Sudan / 7 minutes / PG
Comedy
Bakr has made a life-changing decision that will soon turn his world upside down. Little does he know that his newly founded decision is going to shake the very core of his relationships with his family, friends and fiancé forever.
This Mother’s Day, May 10th at 2pm EDT, watch short films to honor all the amazing women and mothers in our lives. Join us for the fourth program in the Arab Film Series online, the Arab American Shorts Program, brought to you by ArteEast in partnership with @AANM @arabfilmmedia and @Cinetopiafilmfest. This Mother’s Day, we are screening some of the best short films all directed by women to highlight Arab American women making an impact!
