F i l m F e s t i v a l 2 0 1 5

Celebrating 20 Years of Contemporary Arab Cinema

ArabianSights

FILMFESTDC.ORG

OctOber

16–25

Sponsors

American-Arab Anti-Discrimination

Committee

Center for Contemporary Arab Studies

Georgetown University

Official Hotel of Filmfest DC

Official Airline of Arabian Sights Film Festival

Official Venue ofFilmfest DC

Official Media Sponsor ofArabian Sights Film Festival

The Jerusalem Fund

Thank You

Official Sponsors

Arabian Sights Film Festival is presented by

For more information & updates:

Filmfestdc.org202-234-FILM

EMBASSY OF THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATESWASHINGTON DC#UAEUSA

Y OF THE SSAEMBAAB EMIRUNITED AR

ON DCTSHINGAWWAASUAE#U

STEA

Shirin Ghareeb, Arabian Sights FestivalDirector and Programmer, and Deputy Director of the Washington, DC InternationalFilm Festival.

Special thanks to Kristin Van Meerbeke, Coordinating Assistant, Press Relations;Regan Spurlock and Kristin Van Meerbeke,film notes; Mary Pettigrew, ampersandgraphic design; Tuan Tran, Webmaster; and allTheater Managers, Assistants, and Volunteers.

The Washington, DC International Film Festival is the parent organization of the Arabian Sights Film Festival.

Celebrating 20 Years of Contemporary Arab Cinema

ArabianSights

OctOber 16–25, 2015

The Arabian Sights Film Festivalreturns for its celebratory 20th anniver-sary year with the latest and best films from today’s Arab World. Select directorswill accompany their films, conduct post-screening discussions, and an AudienceAward for favorite film will be presented.New this year will be the Arabian SightsJury Award competition for films deserv-ing of increased recognition. Join us for a festive happy hour, special events, and of course a Closing Night Party to commemorate this momentous year!

ADMISSION$13.00 per person for each screening, unlessotherwise noted. Closing Night event (film andparty) is $20.00 per person.

Advance sales are subject to a conveniencefee. 1-888-996-4774

Tickets may be purchased at filmfestdc.org

and at the theater starting one hour beforethe first show.

FESTIVAL PASSA special package of 10 tickets is availableonline and at the theater for a discountedprice of $100. Advance sales subject to aconvenience fee. This package does not include Closing Night.

LOCATIONAMC Mazza Gallerie Theatre5300 Wisconsin Ave., N.W.Washington, DC 20015

FESTIVAL SCHEDULEFriday, October 16

7:00 pm Les Petits Chats8:45 pm Far from Men

Saturday, October 174:15 pm Far from Men6:30 pm A Thousand and One

Journeys: The Arab AmericansFollowed by a reception

9:00 pm Les Petits Chats

Sunday, October 18 2:30 pm The Man from Oran5:00 pm The Intruder7:00 pm A Thousand and One

Journeys: The Arab AmericansFollowed by a receptionFriday, October 23

6:30 pm Eyes of a Thief8:50 pm Zinzana

Saturday, October 24 4:00 pm The New Arab Cinema

Panel 5:30 pm 20th Anniversary

Happy Hour FREE

6:30 pm I am Nojoom, Age 10 and Divorced

9:00 pm Zinzana

Sunday, October 25 2:00 pm I am Nojoom, Age 10 and

Divorced4:15 pm Cairo Time6:30 pm From A to B

Followed by a ClosingParty, $20.00

F i l m

F e s t i v a l

� � � �American Premiere � � � �

Cairo TimeSun., Oct. 25 at 4:15 pmCairo Time is the multigenerational story of six interconnectedcharacters, all at a turning point in their lives. Lila, a retired actress is looking for her last acting partner, Sam, to resolve unfinished business. Salma, a germaphobe, is dating Wael andthey are in a friend’s apartment arguing about the biggest deci-sion of their lives. Hazem, a young drug dealer on his way fromAlexandria to Cairo, picks up an old man desperate to find thewoman in the picture he has carried around for years. Together

they embark on a rollicking journey. Cairo Time brings together three Egyptian screen icons:Mervat Amin, Samir Sabry and Nour El-Sherif. From the director of Jews of Egypt (Arabian Sights, 2013) comes a film that harmoniously combines comedy, romance, and drama.

Egypt, Directed by Amir Ramses, 2014, 110 minutes. In Arabic with English subtitles.

� � � �Arabian Sights Jury Award � � � �

Eyes of a ThiefFri., Oct. 23 at 6:30 pmInspired by real events, Eyes of a Thief, operates simultaneouslyas a thriller, a relationships drama, and as a nuanced slice ofeveryday Palestinian life under the Occupation. After ten years inprison, Tarek, (Khaled Abol Naga), is desperate to find his daughter who was an infant when he was imprisoned. The film isset in Palestine’s Valley of Thieves – where the film takes itsname. A lawless lifestyle seems to have seeped into ten-year oldMalak, whom Tarek suspects is his estranged daughter. But heradoptive mother is being forced into an arranged marriage withthe town’s main businessman with whom Tarek seems to have unfinished business. A storywith many facets, Eyes of a Thief also boasts three original songs by the Algerian singerSouad Massi, who also acts in the film.

Palestine, Directed by Najwa Najjar, 2014, 98 minutes. In Arabic with English subtitles.

Far from MenFri., Oct. 16 at 8:45 pmSat., Oct. 17 at 4:15 pmThe year is 1954 at the onset of the AlgerianWar of Independence. The place is Algeriaand former French Army solider Daru (ViggoMortensen) just wants to a lead a peaceful,quiet life as a schoolteacher in a remote

mountainous town. When he is called to duty to escort an Algerian rebel (Reda Kateb) to anearby city to stand trial for the murder of his cousin, Daru finds his life turned into chaos. Inthe spirit of a classic Western, French writer-director David Oelhoffen has expanded AlbertCamus’ short story The Guest into an absorbing survival tale of reserved, morally uncertainmen in an unstable warzone in an unrelenting landscape.

France, Directed by David Oelhoffen, 2014, 101 minutes. In French and Arabic with English subtitles.

Co-presentedwith

� � � � Closing Night � � � �

From A to BSun., Oct. 25 at 6:30 pm, followed by aClosing Party, $20.00From the director of City of Life (ArabianSights, 2010), comes From A to B, a comedicroad trip film, brimming with heart. From A toB tells the story of three long lost childhoodfriends Rami, Yousef and Omar (an Egyptian,a Saudi and a Syrian) who reluctantly embark on a journey from Abu Dhabi to Beirut to honortheir friend Hady, who passed away five years earlier. Their route is not a straight line geographically or emotionally. Their journey is filled with speedbumps – breakdowns, wrongturns, shady mechanics and a camel or two. If all of this doesn’t drive them crazy, it mightjust bring them closer.

United Arab Emirates/Jordan, Directed by Ali F. Mostafa, 2015, 107 minutes. In Arabic with English subtitles.

� � � � Arabian Sights Jury Award � � � �

I Am Nojoom, Age 10 and DivorcedSat., Oct. 24 at 6:30 pmSun., Oct. 25 at 2:00 pmA 10-year-old girl walks into a courtroom, looks the judge straight inthe eye and tells him, “I want a divorce.” In Yemen, where there is noage restriction for marriage, Nojoom Ali's father arranges for here tomarry a villager who is three times her age in exchange for a trivialdowry. Subjected to physical and psychological abuse at the handsof her husband and grouchy mother-in-law, Nojoom escapes and

attains protection from a compassionate judge. Despite the risk to his own career and family,the judge pursues justice on her behalf. Based on Nojood Ali’s best-selling autobiography,this gripping feature film tells of the little girl who made headline news in 2009 and became asymbol of the movement against forced and underage marriage. Recipient of the top prize atthe Dubai International Film Festival.

France/Yemen/United Arab Emirates, Directed by Khadija Al Salami, 2015, 99 minutes. In Arabic with English subtitles.

The IntruderSun., Oct. 18 at 5:00 pmIn this captivating and intensethriller, a Dutch cop of Moroccandescent goes deep undercover toinfiltrate a drug-trafficking Moroccan family. The deeper heembeds himself in the family’s innercircles, the more he realizes asense of belonging and a feeling of brotherhood that has until now eluded him. It is then hebegins to question his allegiance to the police force he pledged to serve. Neither is what theyseem. Shariff Korver’s feature debut is a smart, bracing thriller.

The Netherlands, Directed by Shariff Korver, 2014, 87 minutes. In Dutch and Arabic with English subtitles.

Co-presented with

Co-presented with

� � � � Arabian Sights Jury Award & World Premiere � � � �

Les Petits ChatsFri., Oct. 16 at 7:00 pmSat., Oct. 17 at 9:00 pmGet ready to tap your feet to JamesBrown’s “I Feel Good”, The Beatles “With aLittle Help From My Friends” and RayCharles’ “Unchain My Heart” — as performed by Egypt’s legendary Les PetitsChats. Concerts by the 60s and 70s rock

band were mobbed by loyal fans who danced the night away. Their songs, most of whichwere an eclectic array of American and European chart toppers, were amazingly and accurately choreographed. Sherif Nakhla’s highly enjoyable documentary offers us an insightinto the lives of the former band-mates during and after their glory days. Now major Egyptiancelebrities and musicians, the six members are reunited for one last show. Beyond electrify-ing the crowds and reviving past thrills, that magical night also reignited a flame within eachof the band members.

Egypt, Directed by Sherif Nakhla, 2014, 80 minutes. In Arabic with English subtitles.

The Man from OranSun., Oct. 18 at 2:30 pmFrom the director of Masquerades (Arabian Sights,2009), Lyes Salem presents a poignant political dramaspanning 30 years. Following the independence of Algeria, two close friends, Djaffer (director Lyes Salem),a modest idealist, and Hamid (Khaled Benaissa), awheeler-dealer, face a promising future. Hamid goeson to a prominent political career and offers Djaffar arole in his office. Eventually Djaffar grows discontented with Hamid’s betrayal of their revolutionary ideals. Their divergent political views eventually drive them apart. As with all ofSalem’s films, The Man from Oran has superb acting, an engaging script and high production values. Recipient of multiple festival awards.

France, Directed by Lyes Salem, 2014, 128 minutes. In French and Arabic with English subtitles.

Sat., Oct. 24 at 4:00 pmSince the inception of the Arabian Sights Film Festival twenty years ago, there havebeen wide-ranging and significant strides in the evolution of Arab cinema, regionally aswell as internationally. Has this evolution opened the doors for a strong industry withsolid foundations? Has Arab cinema come of age and is it being more recognized onthe international scene? What are the reasons behind this development? A panel comprised of Arab film experts and guest film directors will identify and assess thesedevelopments as well as address questions from the audience.

The New Arab Cinema

Please visit filmfestdc.org/arabiansights toview the list of participating panelists.

Co-presentedwith

� � � � American Premiere � � � �

A Thousand and One Journeys: The Arab AmericansSat., Oct. 17 at 6:30 pm, followed by a receptionSun., Oct. 18 at 7:00 pm, followed by a receptionAbe Kasbo’s timely new film vividly paints a portrait of theArab-American immigrant experience through the storiesof people who came to the United States hoping to findthe American Dream, including Senator George Mitchell,Jamie Farr, General John Abizaid, Anthony Shadid, AndyShallal, Helen Thomas, and others. This is the often untold story of nearly 200 years of enrichment of theAmerican fabric by immigrants from the Middle East,North Africa and the Gulf to the United States, a uniquelyAmerican story that provides viewers with a first-everdocumentary of the Arab Americans experience toldthrough the eyes of famous and everyday people.

USA, Directed by Abe Kasbo, 2015, 84 minutes.

� � � � Arabian Sights Jury Award � � � �

ZinzanaFri., Oct. 23 at 8:50 pmSat., Oct. 24 at 9:00 pmTalal (Saleh Bakri) has just woken up in a police cell with no memory of the night before and no identification. His predicamentgets a lot worse with the arrival of brilliant psychopath Dabaan (Ali Suliman) who seems determined to play vicious and unexpectedmind games with him. Talal’s confinement becomes a fight for survival and a race to discoverexactly what’s motivating Dabaan. Building upon two brilliant performances is a taut thrillerfilled with outrageous twists and sudden moments of aggression. The discovery of exactlywhat Dabaan’s plan entails is enormous fun, and each one of the nail-biting time limit sequences work wonderfully. Add to this, ambitious camerawork and a delightful musical interlude, and you have a discovery unlike any other.

Jordan/United Arab Emirates, Directed by Majid Al Ansari, 2015, 91 minutes. In Arabic with English subtitles.

Co-presented with

20ArabianSights

20th Anniversary Happy Hour Enjoy complimentary refreshments and mingle withfellow festival attendees as we celebrate the 20thanniversary of Arabian Sights on Saturday, October 24, 5:30 pm, at AMC Mazza Gallerie.

FREE!

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