21st Arab Film Festival in California to Show 50 Films from 28 Countries
The 21st annual Arab Film Festival (AFF) is one of the most important showcases of Arab films in North America and this year’s edition will kick off on October 13 at the Castro Theatre with Director Sophie Boutros’s MAHBAS-Solitaire. The Opening Night celebration will feature a pre-screening VIP reception at 6:00 pm as well as an after-party at the Mercer. As one of the biggest events of the year for the Arab community, Opening Night draws a significant attendance.
MAHBAS-Solitaire is Boutros’s first feature film and has been an audience favorite around the world, with its portrayal of family ties, grief, and forgiveness. The film will also open the Los Angeles edition on October 27.
“Solitaire tackles some of the most important issues of our times: war, hate, prejudice and forgiveness, all the while entertaining, delighting and moving us,” said AFMI Executive Director, Serge Bakalian.
The Arab Film Festival is North America’s largest and longest running exhibitor of independent Arab films from and about the Arab World. This year’s festival of 50 films representing 28 countries offers a full complement of narrative and documentary features, curated short programs and plenty of both US and Bay Area premieres. In 2017 the Arab Film Festival expanded and is now part of the Arab Film and Media Institute.
Selection of notable programs at the 21st Arab Film Festival
Spotlight on Syria
AFF2017 will include some of the most thought-provoking movies about the Syrian conflict.
One of the most powerful documentary features about the Syrian Civil War we’ve ever screened at the festival, The War Show is a “participatory documentary,” where the filmmaker is an active player. With a vibe reminiscent of a personal journal, Damascus-based Syrian DJ, radio talk show host, and currently director/producer Obaidah Zytoon documents events before the Arab Spring-fueled March 2011 Syrian uprising, during and immediately after the uprising, including days/weeks/months/years after, thus painting a detailed tableau of what this oftentimes labyrinthine conflict is all about. The War Show thrusts the viewer on ground zero with 3-dimensional characters we can care about.
Daring in her investigative approach to documentary form, German director Liliana Marinho de Sousa travels to the fringes of the storm to spotlight “Daya Al-Taesh,” an anti-ISIS satirical web series created by a group of Syrian activists. Winner of the Best Feature Documentary Award at the 2017 BBC Arabic Festival.
Roxie Theatre – October 15, 2017, 5:50 pm
Winner of the 2017 Berlinale Panorama Audience award, Belgian filmmaker Philippe Van Leeuw’s IN SYRIA is a gripping tale of an everyday family’s struggle to survive in one of the world’s top crisis zones, where a quick trip to the store can be your last. Director Philippe Van Leeuw crafts an intimate, albeit, claustrophobic rendering of life under siege.
Roxie Theatre – October 15, 2017, 7:45 pm Shattuck Cinemas – October 22, 2017, 8:30 pm
In Beirut, Syrian refugee construction workers build a skyscraper, locked at the building site with strict curfews. While the workers rebuild Lebanese houses, the war in Syria destroys their own homes. They share the pain and fear of losing their home country while finding themselves unable to construct a life for themselves.
Shattuck Cinemas – October 21, 2017, 4:40 pm
Refugee Stories: Migration, Displacement, Hope
Far from a one-size-fits-all marking of “experience” so often depicted in Western media outlets when it comes to the plight of the refugee, this program of 5 powerful short documentaries spotlights the multitude of hues that should be considered when discussions of the refugee experience are had.
After the program, there will be a panel discussion with members of the International Rescue Committee.
Films in the program:
Here You Are – Tyma Hezam (USA, Syria)
The Pianist of Yarmouk – Vikram Ahluwalia (Syria, Palestine, Germany) After the Spring – Mathilde Babo (Germany, Syria)
A Man Returned – Mahdi Fleifel (Lebanon, Palestine)
Through My Eyes: Hani’s Journey – Zahra Mackaoui (Lebanon, Syria, Canada)
New Parkway Theatre- October 18, 2017, 6:30 pm
Followed by a panel discussion with members of the International Rescue Committee.
This year, AFF will host the first ever Saudi film showcase held by a film festival in the United States, as part of its extended reach through the Arab Film and Media Institute (AFMI). The showcase includes one feature and two short films.
Madayen, a horror film from Saudi Arabia, is set in the homonymous
UNESCO-protected city, where three Saudis investigate the fabled haunted ruins and discover there’s more truth than myth awaiting them.
Wasati is based on true events that happened during a theatre play in Riyadh 10 years ago, when a group of extremists attacked the performers and the play was shut down. The story shook Saudi Arabian society and was all over the news. Wasati addresses this moment in recent history and retells it from a different point of view.
Yellow tells the stories of the drivers of the distinctive old yellow taxis in Qatif City, who struggle to compete with taxi drivers who have more “modern” vehicles.
New Parkway Theater – October 20, 2017, 8:05 pm
Featuring special guest Hakeem Jomah from the film “Madayen.”
OPENING NIGHT: MAHBAS – Solitaire California Premiere
Friday, October 13, 7:30 pm, Castro Theatre (429 Castro Street, SF)
20 years past the Lebanese-Syrian war, still Thérèse didn’t get over her brother’s death by a Syrian bomb. Today her only daughter is getting engaged. Only when the suitor and his parents are at her doorstep, she discovers they are Syrian.
Los Angeles Opening Night: Friday, October 27, Harmony Gold (7655 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles)
GENERAL FESTIVAL INFORMATION
AFF 2017 will take place over 10 days from October 13th through the 22nd throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. Films will be screened in San Francisco at the Castro Theatre, and Roxie Theater; in Oakland at The New Parkway; in Vallejo at the Empress Theater and in Berkeley at the Landmark Shattuck Cinemas. An abridged version of the Festival will take place in Los Angeles October 27-30.
FESTIVAL TICKET INFORMATION
Opening Night VIP film and party $75; film only $25, $20 for students/seniors. Festival Pass VIP $200, general $150, Los Angeles $60. 6 Flex Pass $60. Individual Tickets $12 for the general public, $10 for students/seniors. For ticket information click here.
FESTIVAL SCHEDULE
For film times and locations click here.
ABOUT THE ARAB FILM FESTIVAL
The Arab Film Festival is the largest independent annual showcase of Arab films and filmmakers in the country. The festival has an international standing and is considered one of the most important Arab film festivals outside the Arab world. It strives to present the best contemporary films that provide insight into the beauty, complexity, and diversity of the Arab world alongside realistic perspectives on Arab people, culture, art, history and politics.
ABOUT THE ARAB FILM AND MEDIA INSTITUTE
The Arab Film and Media Institute (AFMI) launched in 2017 and aims to be a complete ecosystem to find, nurture, and showcase Arab talent in the United States. Starting with organizing school screenings, and growing into offering filmmaker services and original programming, AFMI is the place for Arab cinema and its fans, and the home of the Arab Film Festival.
For more information visit arabfilminstitute.org