Cairo's Cimatheque Alternative Film Centre will screen a collection of short films by the late documentary filmmaker Hossam Ali as part of its tribute to the director. The screenings are presented as part of Cimatheque's two month 'Focus on Arab Documentary Cinema' programme. The collection of short films falls under program one, titled 'War and its Discontents' and includes never before screened works by the director. According to the event's description, Hossam Ali's films "remain a testament to his forward-thinking style and unique approach to documentary filmmaking". With his short documentary style of filmmaking, Ali foresaw the dawn of the digital format and the impact of video on filmmaking techniques beyond his time. Ali's work can be regarded as an "ideological and aesthetic bridge" from the schools of documentary filmmaking that preceded him to those that followed his work. The collection of short films includes The Rafah Trilogy (1982), a documentary short examining the Sinai Peninsula following the withdrawal of Israeli forces in the early 1980s; The Harvest (1974) which exhibits a progressive account of the 1973 October War, the film incorporates seldom screened footage; as well as The Exhibit (1985) which offers a critique of the economic and political policies occurring in 1980s Egypt. Programme: Tuesday 16 May at 7.00 pm Thursday 18 May at 4.00 pm Cimatheque - Alternative Film Centre, 19a Adly Street, Downtown Cairo 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
