In a continuing series of postings in honor and commemoration of the richness and diversity of Levantine culture, especially that of Syria and Iraq in the diaspora, notice must be taken of the 17th Annual Arab Film Festival, taking place this week and next in the California Bay Area and in Los Angeles two weeks later. See cinemawithoutborders/world-cinema-reports/3502-17th-annual-arab-film-festival.html In particular, I want to take note of recent Syrian cinema (nest to Egypt, Syria had probably the most internationally recognized film industry in the Arab world, and the conditions under which films are now made are dangerous, horrendous, and yet absolutely fundamental to necessary art. One of particular interest for me is the Syrian French collaboration The Shebabs of Yarmouk (AXEL SALVATORI-SINZ / DOCUMENTARY / FRANCE, SYRIA / 2013 / 77 MINS), described by the Festival as follows: Boredom, idleness, discouragement, the possibility of exile. But also hope, dreams, ideals, and passion for art. That is what Salvatori-Sinz filmed in this first documentary essay, which captures the daily lives of Ala’a, Hassan, Samer, Tasneem and Waed, all of whom are in their early 20s. They are Shebabs, as third-generation Palestinian refugees born and raised in the Mukhayyam Yarmouk camp, on the outskirts of Damascus, Syria, are known. Another is the Iraqi/British collaboration, In my Mother’s Arms, Directed by Mohamed Al-Daradji, Atia Al-Daradji (Documentary / Iraq, UK / 2013 / 87 mins / U.S. Premiere), described by the festival as follows: Husham works tirelessly to build the hopes, dreams and prospects of the 32 damaged children of war, under his care at a small orphanage in Baghdad’s most dangerous district. Against this threatening backdrop, with funds running desperately low, the bittersweet dramas of childhood play out: 7-year-old Saif can only remember his dead mother’s name, ‘Mejuda’, as he faces the aunts of other kids in constant playground battles; teenager Mohammed struggles to balance academic life with his search for self-identity whilst young Salah fears he may never be able to go to school. When the landlord gives Husham and the boys just two weeks to vacate, a desperate search ensues. They take their story to the Internet and inspire others to work together. What began as a partnership for business becomes a partnership for peace. Third is a film shown, I think, only in San Francisco, the Syrian/Canadian collaboration, Arwad, Directed by Samer Najari, Dominique Chila (Narrative / Canada / 2014 / 105 mins), described by the Festival as follows: A deep feeling of nostalgia takes hold of Ali following his mother’s death, causing him to slowly drift away from family life. Although Gabrielle senses her husband’s distress, she fails to console him. In an attempt to reconnect with his roots, Ali travels to Arwad, an island located off the Syrian coast. Leaving Montreal and his family behind, he is accompanied by Marie, his mistress, who is discovering the island for the first time. After an unexpected turn of events, the confrontation between Gabrielle and Marie will become inevitable. And, finally, two Palestinian films about the creation of music and theater in conditions not conducive: One, the Palestinian/Italian collaboration, Just Play, Directed by Dimitri Chimenti (Documentary / Italy, Palestine / 2012 / 58 mins), described by the Festival as follows: This film is not about occupation; it is not about the conflict; it is not about music. These are all elements of the story, but the film is about something else. It is about a group of men and women working with Al Kamandjati, a Palestinian Cultural Association conducting a program of music education in the West Bank. This picture is about them and their difficulties in transforming music into a means of freedom and liberation. It seeks to answer some simple but fundamental questions: Who are they? What do they want? Why are they so important? How to play Beethoven, Mozart and Bach in an environment which is often depicted and perceived as the space of the clash of civilizations? And, in what will be hard but also inspiration to watch because the visionary and charismatic theater directors murder inspired one of my most impassioned poems,, Al Helm: Martin Luther King in Palestine, dir. Connie Field / Documentary / USA / 2013 / 93 mins / Arabic, English), described by the Festival as follows: Martin Luther King’s dream of justice, equality and nonviolence comes to the West Bank in the form of a play by Stanford professor Clay Carson. The parallels seem clear, but the collaboration between a group of African American gospel singers and the Palestinian National Theater hits its first snag when director Kamel El Basha changes the play to make it more accessible to Palestinian audiences. In a compelling and emotional documentary, award-winning director Connie Field (Have You Heard from Johannesburg?, MVFF 2006; Freedom on My Mind, MVFF 1994) captures the eye-opening experiences of the choir as its members witness the open wound of the Palestinian struggle. Along the way, the actors perform at the Freedom Theatre and encounter its charismatic founder, Israeli-Palestinian actor, director and film- maker Juliano Mer Khamis (Arna’s Children, MVFF 2005). Even as young Palestinians follow their Egyptian and Tunisian counter- parts in an incipient nonviolent movement, the Americans witness tragedy as they and their fellow artists come to understand each other’s struggles.
Posted on: Fri, 17 Oct 2014 23:24:19 +0000