Loading ...Arab culture on screen
By Beth Wood
San Diego Union Tribune
A couple of years ago, at a shop where posters for the Arab Film Festival in San Diego were being printed, a worker was overheard commenting: “Who would have thought? Arabs make films?”
Now in its fifth year, the festival has left no doubt that Arabs make films.
“The Arab world is a creative, humane culture and people,” said Larry Christian, a festival board member. “We want to make clear our existence as a dynamic part of artistic life. There is such a thing as Arab films.”
The San Diego festival, held annually at Balboa Park’s Museum of Photographic Arts, will take place Oct. 27-30. It is co-sponsored by Karama, a local nonprofit, and the San Francisco Arab Film Festival, now in its 20th year.
San Diego Arab Film Festival
When: Various times, Oct. 27-30
Where: Museum of Photographic Arts, 1649 El Prado, Balboa Park
Tickets: $5 to $10 for individual films; $50 for a festival pass
Phone: (619) 243-0827
Online: sandiegoaff.org
In San Diego, there will be screenings of six full-length movies. Of those, four are official submissions to the 2017 Academy Awards from Tunisia, Lebanon, Palestine and Jordan.
Jordan’s entry, “3000 Nights,” was written, directed and produced by Mai Masri, an acclaimed Palestinian documentary filmmaker. Now based in Jordan, she studied film at the University of California Berkeley and San Francisco State University. Masri will be in San Diego on Friday night to introduce “3000 Nights,” her first dramatic feature.
“A group of us from Karama saw it at the Palm Springs Film Festival last January,” Christian recalled. “We were so taken by it, we contacted the San Francisco group and asked them to keep an eye out for it.”
The movie follows Layal, a young, pregnant, Palestinian newlywed who is falsely accused and imprisoned. While raising her child, she forms strong bonds with her fellow prisoners.
This year, the volunteer-run festival has a modern, urban flavor, Christian noted. “Yallah! Underground” is a documentary about young Arab artists and musicians from Egypt, Lebanon, Palestine and Jordan. The drama “As I Open My Eyes” explores the life of Farah, an 18-year-old Tunisian who’s in a rock band against the wishes of her family.
The Palestinian film “Arab Idol” is also music-related. It’s based on a true story of a young man from Gaza who sneaked across the border to Egypt to compete in the regional version of the “Idol” franchise.
Christian describes the Lebanese selection “Very Big Shot” as a political satire wrapped in a crime drama. Another film, “Iraqi Odyssey,” will screen tonight.
“One issue covered in the festival is the Arab diaspora,” Christian explained. “‘Iraqi Odyssey’ traces three generations of a family who have left Iraq. It explores why that happened. San Diego has a large population of Iraqis, so we are hoping they come. We’re trying to attract a mix of the Arab community here. They’ll get strong support and validation from the films. Some can show their kids where they come from.
“We also want to reach out to people who are open-minded and interested in culture and learning about Arab art and cinema.”
A new short-film program represents several countries, including Saudi Arabia, Syria and Switzerland. Christian said the shorts include animation, drama and even a comedy.
“The festival’s mission is to present realistic depictions or visions of the culture and people of the Arab world,” he said. “These films challenge the negative stereotypes that are so commonplace and show the human, creative side of our people. Cinema is a good medium to be able to do that.”