Wednesday,
March 16 ~ Sunday, March 20
Middle
East
Week
Life
inside the Middle East not as filtered through the foreign press
but as lived by award-winning filmmakers who call these countries
home. Drama, comedy and real politic are all on display in this
series of films and cultural festival presented by International
House Philadelphia and the Middle
East Center at the University of Pennsylvania.
Wednesday,
March 16 at 7:00pm
Channels of Rage
dir. Anat Halachmi,
Israel, 2003, Beta SP, 70 mins, color, Hebrew and Arabic w/
English subtitles
The staccato rhythms
of rap and the searing anger of young hip-hop poets don’t
belong only to the streets of urban America. Meet Kobi Shimoni
-- better known to his thronging Israeli fans as the rapper
Subliminal, whose politically charged, patriotic raps have
found a huge following among young Israelis searching for
a new sound of protest, with no apologies for his radical
reinvention of Hebrew and his proud Zionist message.
Channels of Rage, shot over three years, tracks the
rise of Subliminal’s career and the entrance on the scene
of his protégé, an Israeli Arab rapper named Tamer Nafar.
At first in awe of Subliminal’s talent, then gradually his
equal on
Tel Aviv club stages,
Tamer begins to find his own voice -- and the language
of his people --
and quickly becomes a phenomenon in his own right as a powerful
Arabic hip-hopper with little tolerance for the increasingly
nationalist stance of his mentor. The growing acrimony between
the two rivals -- whose friendship once represented a kind
of twinned musical hope for coexistence -- forms the central
drama in this breakneck, energizing, painful, and very real
film. The power of these artists’ word imagery alone, as they
transform the rhythms
of American hip-hop
into desperate, jagged outbursts for justice between two peoples,
is simply breathtaking.
Thursday,
March 17 at 7:00pm
Additional
screening of The Ladies Room on Thursday, March 24 at 8:00pm
For
those who attended the Thursday, March 17 screening, we apologize
that The Ladies Room was mistakenly replaced by the
Iranian film Zohre and Manouchehr directed by Mitra
Farahani. To rectify this situation, The Ladies Room
will be screened for free on the evening of Thursday, March
24 at 8:00pm. Thank
you, International House Philadelphia
The
Ladies Room
dir.
Mahnaz Afzali, Iran, 2003, Beta SP, 55 mins, color, Farsi w/
English subtitles
Directed
by Mahnaz Afzali, a prominent actress in Iran, this standout
film boldly defies Western preconceptions of Iranian women.
Filmed entirely inside a ladies washroom in a public park in
the center of Tehran, this absorbing documentary captivates
as these women shatter the silence on drugs, family abuse, gender,
sex, relationships and religion.
Paradise
Lost
dir.
Ebtisam Maraana, Israel, 2003, Beta SP, 56 mins, color, Arabic
and Hebrew w/ English subtitles
A
picturesque fishing village overlooking the Mediterranean, Paradise
(Fureidis in Arabic) was one of the few Palestinian villages
left standing after the 1948 war. A rare film by an Arab Israeli,
this highly personal film diary follows the director on her
quest to learn more about the history of her village. When she
uncovers the story of Suuad, the community's legendary “bad
girl” who was imprisoned as a PLO activist in the 1970’s, her
troubles begin.
Horse
of Mud
dir.
Ateyyat El Abnoud, Egypt, 1971, 16mm, 12 mins, b/w, Arabic w/
English subtitles
 In
one of her earliest and most poignant works, veteran documentarian
Ateyyat El Abnoudy captures the dignity of Cairo's poor. In
this beautifully photographed document the primitive process
of brick making is examined, revealing the monotonous choreography
of a nonetheless meaningful social task. The sad dance of their
fluid movements intermingled with personal stories deeply resonates.
Friday,
March 18 at 6:00pm
Friday
Night at the Oasis -
Food,
dance and music of the Middle East
Wind down from your
week with plate of delicious middle eastern treats from Konak
while Ya'lla, Penn Middle Eastern Dance Troupe perform, with
classical and folk music from Turkey by Ayca Yesim (Vocal),
Iman Roushdy (Vocal), Gerardo Razumney (Percussion) and Umut
Yesilmen (Kanun) and storytelling by Pecki Witonsky reading
from her book, The Cave of Reconciliation.
 The
Cave of Reconciliation, describes the story of Abraham
in one direction and the story of Ibrahim in the other, with
each tale as important as the other. Married by content, these
sacred renderings show the story from each religion's point
of view. Artwork from the book will be on display along with
dioramas, made of paper and fabric to illustrate the text. These
beautifully designed pieces, hung in dramatic shadow boxes,
were created by Katie Scott, a student at the Hussain School
of Art.
followed
at 8:00pm by
Ali
Zaoua: Prince of the Streets
dir.
Nabil Ayouch, Morocco/Tunisia, 2000, 35mm, 90 mins, color, Arabic
w/ English subtitles
 Director
Nabil Ayouch draws on such earlier masterpieces as Luis Bunuel's
Los Olvidados and Hector Babenco's Pixote
for this memorable and moving portrait of the lives of street
kids living in Casablanca's abandoned lots. Ali, Kouka, Omar
and Boubker, four young friends who are members of a gang, rebel
against their cruel leader's oppressive rule and strike out
on their own, running away from "home" a second time.
Winner of over 40 international film festival awards, Ali
Zaoua has rightfully earned its reputation as a contemporary
masterpiece of Middle Eastern cinema.
Saturday,
March 19 at 7:00pm
The
Letter
dir.
Ziad H. Hamzeh, USA/Syria, 2003, Beta SP, 76 mins, color, English
and Somali w/ English subtitles
 When
many places in America have struggled with immigration, Maine
has had a reputation of welcoming many unwanted refugees from
wars and famines across the globe. A firestorm of controversy
erupted there recently when Mayor Larry Raymond of Lewiston,
Maine, sent an open letter to 1,110 newly arrived Somalis in
town. His letter asked them to tell other Somalis not to move
into the city as the city's resources were strained. Interpreted
as racism by some and a rallying cry by white supremacist groups
across the United States, The Letter documents the
ensuing cross-currents of emotions and events, including a 'hate'
rally convened by The World Church of the Creator and a counter
'peace' rally involving 4,000 Lewiston residents and other Mainers
who gathered to support ethnic and cultural diversity.
Sunday,
March 20 at 7:00pm
Nina’s
Tragedies
dir.
Sam Gabizon, Israel, 2003, 35mm, 110 mins, color, Hebrew w/
English subtitles
 The
winner of eleven Israeli Academy Awards and the top Israeli
box office draw last year, Nina's Tragedies is told
in flashback from the point of view of a 14-year-old boy. Nadav
must cope with the divorce of his parents, his high-strung mother's
neuroticism, and the zealotry of his newly Orthodox father.
Packed off to live with his beautiful Aunt Nina, with whom he
is secretly and utterly smitten, he shares in his aunt's suffering
when her husband dies, and he is devastated when a new man enters
her life. In this sophisticated, savvy, and touching coming-of-age
story, director Savi Gabizon shows that there is room for grace
and humor in the sadness and conflict of daily life.
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