We’re heading to Queensland this weekend to celebrate the conclusion of the fabulous 2011 Arab Film Festival national tour.
Throughout July we’ve brought cinematic diversity to Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra and Adelaide. Now it’s Brisbane’s turn to see the films that take us straight into the heart of the Arab Spring.
Catch us at Dendy Portside on Saturday 30 July and Sunday 31 July for eight films that represent the very best of the Arab Film Fest.
Brisbane line-up
Brisbane’s festival opener on Saturday 30 July is The Cry of an Ant, the first feature film to address the events of the Egyptian revolution in January. See it with The Rodba, a light-hearted look at marriage tradition from France.
On Sunday 31 July we screen Stray Bullet and let you catch up with the divine Nadine Labaki in her first feature since Caramel. It’s Lebanon, 1976, and a 30-something woman is teetering on the brink of a loveless marriage. This film expertly weaves together the struggles of the heart with the close, tense atmosphere of wartime Beirut. It screens with Mary, a tale of neighbourly espionage in Western Sydney.
On our festival grand finale session on Sunday night we bring you three boundary-pushing films that explore facets of the Palestinian struggle with a dose of 21st-century magic. The highly experimental documentary This is My Picture When I Was Dead is an occasionally surreal film combining archival footage and photos with dramatic re-creations to delve into the history of the PLO. It screens with I nto the Belly of the Whale, filmed in the tunnels below the border between Israel, Gaza and Egypt and Gaza Shield, about a group of Lebanese activists who express their politics in an online game.
Inside the Revolution
The Arab Film Festival brings films to Australians that unpick the complex politics, emotions and social structures that are feeding into this season of change.
“The rich tradition of storytelling has been part of the Arab culture for thousands of years,” says Festival Co-Director Mouna Zaylah. “And this tradition has been transferred to the screen and strengthened as technology and access is developing. More and more we are producing and presenting the stories ourselves rather than waiting for the Western media to retell our stories.”
Tickets & Details
See the Arab Film Festival at Dendy Portside, Portside Wharf, Remora Road, Hamilton. Book online or by phone on 07-3137 6000. Tickets are $16/13/10 for full/concession/Dendy club.
Find out more about the films online.
Hit us up
@digitalkulcha tweets “Arab film festival still screening & still smashing stereotypes”
Have your say – join us on Twitter @arabfilmfestau and Facebook now.
Visit our website for the full festival program and national tour dates.
Copyright (C) 2011 Arab Film Festival Australia.
