a href="/myfiles/Images/2012/11/23/li01.jpg" title="A scene from Khadijah Al-Salami's “Scream," which focuses on women's activism within the context of Yemeni society. — Courtesy photo" A scene from Khadijah Al-Salami's “Scream," which focuses on women's activism within the context of Yemeni society. — Courtesy photo
DUBAI/JEDDAH — Eight World Premieres, two International Premieres and five Middle East Premieres form the outstanding lineup for the Muhr Arab Documentary Awards at the 2012 Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) taking place from Dec. 9-16. Themes among the 15 films contending for the top honors at the Festival range from the complex realities of family bonds and survival against the odds, to the shift in societal norms and a struggle for freedom — all set against the backdrop of an evolving Arab landscape. “Muhr Arab Documentaries empowers emerging and established filmmakers alike to tell compelling, hard-hitting and true-to-life stories in this ever-changing society. This year's documentaries explore the struggle between what is static and what is changing and the effects this (struggle) has on those living in the Arab world, particularly women,” said DIFF Artistic Director Masoud Amralla Al Ali. “Sleepless Nights” by Lebanon's Eliane Raheb — winner of the Cinema in Motion Award at the San Sebastian Festival in 2011 — explores war wounds through the eyes of a former high-ranking leader in the Christian militia, responsible for many killings in the Lebanese Civil War. “Scream” by Khadijah Al-Salami, who is considered the first female producer in Yemen, focuses on women's activism within the context of Yemeni society, while women's roles are severely proscribed; they nevertheless took to the streets to help depose former President Ali Abdullah Saleh. In its Middle East Premiere, Mohamed El Aboudi's accomplished documentary “Dance of Outlaws” — which received an award at Locarno International Film Festival — profiles a Moroccan woman who does not officially exist because she was abused and deprived by her shamed family as a teenager. She is a pawn in the great political change sweeping across the Arab world but refuses to give up her dream of dignity, motherhood and love. DIFF will also see the World Premiere of Lebanese director Farah Kassem's “My Father Looks like Abdelnasser,” which explores the unspoken bond between father and daughter, the wisdom of parents and the stories belonging to a past generation. Additional films being showcased in the category include “Doaa…Aziza” by Egyptian director Saad Hendawy. It explores the timeless question: Is the grass really greener on the other side? Karim Goury's documentary “Man Inside” sees a son revisit the last place his father was seen alive 22 years ago in Kuwait City. The ongoing Palestinian situation is the subject of two powerful documentaries, both making World Premieres. In Nahed Awad's “Gaza Calling,” two men are forced to be “infiltrators” in their own country.
Originally from Gaza, they work and live in Ramallah in the West Bank. The film demonstrates the impact on Palestinian families of the draconian siege maintained by Israeli authorities. Khaled Jarrar's “Infiltrators” documents a series of “adventures,” ingenious courses of action taken by ordinary Palestinians to overcome the obstacles presented by the Israeli Wall. Rashed Masharawi's “Land of the Story,” another World Premiere, deals with the hardships of those struggling to disconnect from their homeland. Several films struggle with issues of memory, loss and redemption: in “Turtle's Rage,” German-Palestinian filmmaker Pary El-Qalqili travels with her father to their native Palestine in an attempt to discover why he has cut the family off after a failed attempt to become a freedom fighter in Palestine years ago. The film will make its Middle East Premiere along with experimental filmmaker and musician Nida Shihab's “Amal's Garden,” a hopeful portrait of an elderly couple who decide to renovate their home after a decade of war. In Hinde Boujemaa's “It was Better Tomorrow,” homeless Kaabi and her son Faouzi live hand to mouth, squatting in apartments left empty by fleeing multinationals. This will make its Middle East Premiere at DIFF following excellent reviews at both Venice International Film Festival and Stockholm International Film Festival. The documentary “True Story of Love, Life Death and Sometimes Revolution,” an International Premiere by Nidal Hassan, gathers the views and testimonies of Syrian women during the upheaval, fear and hope of the Syrian revolution. Meanwhile, Lamine Ammar Khodja's diary of homecoming, “Ask Your Shadow,” mixes the existential questions of a prodigal Algerian with the political events sweeping the region. Finally, “Family Albums” questions Mahmoud Darwish's statement: “Identity is our legacy and not our inheritance; our invention and not our memory.” Four film-makers draw up a sensitive portrait of the Arab world composed of their daily lives in four different places. For more information, visit www.dubaifilmfest.com, contact [email protected] or call (971) 363-3456. — SG
