Newswise — A guided tour of Jerusalem, an award-winning love story from Yemen and a spiritual journey from Tunisia are on the bill as Florida State University presents its fourth annual Middle East Film Festival. The festival, which runs from Sunday, Sept. 23, to Thursday, Sept. 27, will take place at FSU's Askew Student Life Cinema, located at 942 Learning Way on the FSU campus. All films are free and open to the public.
The festival lineup is as follows:
Sunday, Sept. 23, 6:30 p.m. -- "Hats of Jerusalem" (Israel, 2006): Filmmaker Nadi Atler takes the viewer on a journey through Jerusalem, looking at the old city in a very new way -- through its hats. By examining headgear, Atler discovers the history behind the hats and their wearers, giving the viewer a guided tour of the religious and ethnic diversity present in Jerusalem. In English; 50 minutes. A reception will follow at 7:15 p.m.
Sunday, Sept. 23, 8:30 p.m. -- "Offside" (Iran, 2006): The director, Jafar Panahi, captures the story of women who challenge society's boundaries in order to watch Iran's World Cup soccer qualifying match against Bahrain. The women dress like men to get around laws banning women from watching soccer in the national stadium. They are discovered and arrested. Winner of the Silver Berlin Bear and the Amnesty International Film Awards in 2006. In Persian with English subtitles; 93 minutes.
Tuesday Sept. 25, 7 p.m. -- "A New Day in Old Sana'a (Yemen, 2005): A young photographer, Tariq, is to be married to Bilqis. On the day of his marriage, he sees a young woman dancing in the moonlight as he is walking to a mosque. He instantly falls in love with her, believing she is Bilqis, his beloved. The film examines the question of duty and honor as Tariq has to choose between his fiancée and the woman he loves. It was screened at this year's Cannes Film Festival. This is the first feature film ever shot in Yemen. Winner of the Best Arabic Film at the 2005 Cairo International Film Festival. In Arabic with English subtitles; 90 minutes. A brief reception will follow.
Tuesday, Sept. 25, 9:30 p.m. -- "Only Human" (Seres Queridos) (Spain, 2004): This Spanish comedy tells the story of Rafi, a Palestinian who is brought home by Leni, his Jewish fiancée, to meet her family. The family members are, for the most part, not practicing Jews, but when they learn Rafi is Palestinian, they are unhappy. This wacky family comedy will have you laughing even as it tackles the serious question of how Palestinians and Jews interact with each other outside of Israel and the Occupied Territories. In Spanish with English subtitles; 85 minutes.
Wednesday, Sept. 26, 7 and 10 p.m. -- "Days of Glory" (Indigènes) (Algeria, France, 2006): This is a true story of the Algerian soldiers who fought alongside the French in World War II and helped to save their motherland from invasion. It examines the racism and prejudice that they encountered, as well as the acceptance they felt by some. The film examines the question of whether the French nationalist values of liberty, equality, and fraternity were universal truths or hollow rhetoric. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. It won five awards, among them a Cesar and an Etoiles D'Or in France. In French and Arabic with English subtitles; 123 minutes. There will be a brief reception following the 7 p.m. showing.
Thursday, Sept. 27, 7 and 10:15 p.m. -- "Bab' Aziz" (Tunisia, 2005): Bab' Aziz, a blind old dervish, takes his granddaughter Ishtar across the desert to a Sufi meeting that is organized once every 30 years. (Sufism is the mystical form of Islam. It seeks to show that the path of life cannot be planned but needs to be felt with the heart.) During their journey, Bab' Aziz tells stories to soothe Ishtar's fears of never finding the gathering. The film is about love, truth and spirituality. "Bab' Aziz" won a Crystal Symorgh and a Golden Dagger award. In Arabic and Persian with English subtitles; 96 minutes. There will be a brief reception following the 7 p.m. showing.
The Middle East Film Festival is sponsored by FSU's Middle East Center, its Winthrop-King Institute for Contemporary French and Francophone Studies and its Student Life Cinema, as well as Saudi Aramco Services.
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