Check the complete programme here A SYRIAN LOVE STORY Country: United Kingdom, France, Lebanon, Syria Year: 2015 Director: Sean McAllister Running Time: 76 min Language: English, Arabic, French Subtitles: English Comrades and lovers Amer and Raghda met in a Syrian prison cell 15 years ago. When the director, McAllister, first meets their family in 2009, Raghda is back in prison leaving Amer to look after their 4 boys alone; but as the ‘Arab Spring' sweeps the region, the family's fate shifts irrevocably. Filmed over 5 years, the film charts their incredible odyssey to political freedom. For Raghda and Amer, it is a journey of hope, dreams and despair: for the revolution, their homeland and each other. Nominated for Outstanding Debut - BAFTA Awards 2016 Grand Jury Prize - Sheffield Documentary IFF 2015 Jury Prize - Watch Docs IFF 2015 (Photo: still from A Syrian Love Story) AT TITI'S BALCONY / AU BALCON DE TITI Country : France, Egypte
Year : 2016
Director : Yasmina Benari
Genre : Documentary
Running Time : 94 min
Language : French
Subtitles : English
Titi is a 84-year-old Jewish Egyptian communist. Through his identity, his friends, his battles, and his civic choices, he embodies the polyglot, politicized, and secular country that once was. From his balcony, facing his “piece of Midan,” a part of the world renowned Tahrir Square, he has watched history unfold since 1935. At Titi's Balcony is a voyage, oscillating between inner and outer worlds. As you open the blinds, you will experience the space between Titi's colorful past, fleeting images of the present, and the onrushing kaleidoscope we call the future.
(Photo: still from At Titi's Balcony) GO HOME Country: France, Switzerland, Belgium, Lebanon, United Arab Emirates Year: 2015 Director: Jihane Chouaib Running Time: 100 min Language: Arabic, French Subtitles: English, Arabic Nada is going home. Or at least she wants to. When she comes back to Lebanon, she realizes she's a foreigner in her own country. But there's still a place she calls home: an abandoned house in ruins, haunted by the presence of her grandfather who disappeared mysteriously during the civil war. Something happened in this house, something violent. Searching for the truth, Nada will discover herself. Nominated Muhr Award - Dubai IFF 2015 Nominated for Best International Feature Film - Edinburgh IFF 2016 Nominated for Best Film by an Emerging Director - Munich IFF 2016 (Photo: still from Go Home) THE LAND OF THE ENLIGHTENED Country: Belgium, Netherlands, Ireland, Germany, Afghanistan Year: 2015 Director: Pieter-Jan De Pue Running Time: 87 min Language: English, Persian Subtitles: English A gang of Afghan kids from the Kuchi tribe dig out old Soviet mines and sell the explosives to children working in a lapis lazuli mine. When not dreaming of the time when American troops finally withdraw from their land, another gang of children keeps tight control on the caravans smuggling the blue gemstones through the arid mountains of Pamir. In this seamless blend of fictional and documentary form, we experience a stunning cinematic journey into the beauty of war-tormented Afghanistan. Special Jury Award for Best Cinematography - Sundance IFF 2016 Official Selection - Rotterdam IFF 2016 (Photo: still from The Land of the Enlightened) THE LAST OMELETTE - THE MAKING OF THE LAND OF THE ENLIGHTENED
The story behind the documentary The Land of the Enlightened is as fascinating as the film itself. Shooting over a period of seven years in the chaotic, dangerous and unpredictable war zone of Afghanistan was no easy task. This 'making of' shows that filmmaking is not only a skill but also an art in perseverance and flexibility. (Photo: still from The Last Omelette) PARISIENNE / PEUR DE RIEN Country: France Year: 2015 Director: Danielle Arbid Running Time: 119 min Language: Arabic, French Subtitles: English, Arabic The 90's. Lina, 18, arrives to Paris for her studies. She is looking for what she can't find in her home country Lebanon, a taste of freedom. Lead by her natural instinct for self-preservation, she experiences different sides of the Parisian jungle and becomes conscious of her own place. Because when you are 18, your dream is to embrace the world - not just one boy... Contemporary World Cinema – Toronto IFF 2015 Nominated Muhr Award - Dubai IFF 2015 Nominated Crystal Arrow - Les Arcs European Film Festival 2015 (Photo: still from Parisienne) ROUGH STAGE / KARMIL PINNAL Country : Estonia, Palestine Year : 2015 Director : Toomas Jävert Running Time: 74 min Language : Arabic Subtitles : English Maher, a Palestinian man and former political prisoner, is an electrical engineer by profession but an artist at heart. He dreams of staging a contemporary dance performance in Ramallah. In order to do so, he must deal with his disapproving family, tight budgets and cultural norms. Set in today's most contested location, Maher's story is a parable about a society in conflict, where the real war is between dreams and traditions. First Appearance Competition - IDFA 2015 (Photo: still from Rough Stage) SONITA Country: Germany, Iran, Switzerland Year: 2015 Director: Rokhsareh Ghaem Maghami Running Time : 91 min Language: English, Persian, Dari Subtitles: English As a female rapper in conservative Iran, Sonita's talents are a liability. But the young refugee from Afghanistan insists on dreaming big. Her beats are as solid as stones and her rhymes are fierce. For the time being, her only fans are the other teenage girls in a Tehran shelter. There, she gets counseling for the traumas she has suffered and guidance in shaping her future. All the while, Sonita's mother insists she must be married off soon, at a price, and threatens to derail her life at its most critical juncture. Documentary Grand Jury Prize, Documentary Audience Award – Sundance IFF 2016 Audience Award, Doc U Award for The Youth's Jury Favorite Film – IDFA 2015 Audience Award - IndieLisboa 2016 Youth Jury Award - Sheffield IFF 2016 (Photo: still from Sonita) SPEED SISTERS Country: Palestine, USA, Qatar, Canada, Denmark, United Kingdom Year: 2015 Director: Amber Fares Running Time : 79 min Language: Arabic Subtitles: English The Speed Sisters are the first all-woman race car driving team in the Middle East. Grabbing headlines and turning heads at improvised tracks across the West Bank, these five women have sped their way into the heart of the gritty, male-dominated Palestinian street car-racing scene. Weaving together their lives on and off the track, Speed Sisters takes you on a surprising journey into the drive to go further and faster than anyone thought you could. Audience Award for Best Feature – Irish Film Institute Doc Fest 2015 Jury Award for Best Documentary – Adelaide FF 2015 Nominated Audience Award - Hotdocs 2016 (Photo: still from Speed Sisters) All data is provided by the Panorama of the European Film Ahram Online is the media sponsor of The Panorama of the European Film and of Zawya. For more arts and culture news and updates, follow Ahram Online Arts and Culture on Twitter at @AhramOnlineArts and on Facebook at Ahram Online: Arts & Culture
