{"id":7992,"date":"2016-03-27T01:13:56","date_gmt":"2016-03-27T00:13:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/middleastnow.it\/now\/?p=7992"},"modified":"2016-03-28T15:22:43","modified_gmt":"2016-03-28T13:22:43","slug":"cinema-2016-all-the-films-and-the-special-focuses-of-the-program-2016","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/middleastnow.it\/en\/cinema-2016-all-the-films-and-the-special-focuses-of-the-program-2016\/","title":{"rendered":"CINEMA 2016: all the films and the special focuses of the program 2016"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Barakah<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

The contemporary Middle East is once again under the spotlight in Florence from 5 to 10 April 2016, <\/b>with the 7th<\/sup> edition<\/b> of Middle East Now<\/b>, the international festival of cinema, documentary, contemporary art, music, discussion <\/b>and other events, <\/b>organized by the cultural association Map of Creation and the artistic directions of Lisa Chiari and Roberto Ruta, to be held at locations all over the city including the Odeon Cinema, the Stensen Cinema<\/b> and cultural spaces, with a packed programme of screenings and special events.<\/p>\n

Middle East Now<\/b> 2016<\/b> will present 44 films<\/b> \u2013 almost all are Italian and European premi\u00e8res <\/b>\u2013 with feature films, documentaries, animations and short films forming a powerful cinematographic journey through Middle-Eastern countries and society. They are now more than ever at centre stage in international politics and the media. <\/b>The stories, characters, potent themes and recent events portrayed in the latest films from Iran, Iraq, Kurdistan, Lebanon, Israel, Palestine, Egypt, Jordan, United Arab Emirates, Yemen, Afghanistan, Syria, Bahrain<\/b>, Algeria <\/b>and Morocco<\/b> provide a window for the general public to the culture and society of these countries, framed in a way which goes beyond the usual prejudices and platitudes.<\/p>\n

Premi\u00e8res and special screenings on the 2016 programme:<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

\"Degrad\u00e9_leading<\/a>
\nFrom Palestine<\/span><\/b>, premi\u00e8ring in Italy, the incredible documentary Speed Sisters<\/i><\/b> by Amber Fares (2014, 90 mins., Palestine, Qatar), on the dreams and victories of a group of young women who affirm their freedom as motor racing drivers; and the opening film Degrad\u00e9<\/i><\/b>, the first feature film by the Palestinian brothers Tarzan & Arab Nasser, a darkly comic tale of a pet lion, a hair salon with twelve women inside and a combat zone outside; The Idol<\/i><\/b> (2015), the last feature of the twice Oscar-nominated Hany Abu-Assad, telling the incredible story of Mohammad Assaf \u2013 Gazan winner of Arab Idol who won the hearts of millions with his voice.\u00a0The protagonist of the Closing Night<\/i><\/b> of the festival (Sunday 10 April) will be the thriller Eyes of a Thief<\/i><\/b> by the talented Palestinian director Najwa Najjar<\/b> (2014, fiction, Italian premi\u00e8re), which includes among its cast the Egyptian star Khaled Abol Naga<\/b> and the famous Algerian <\/b>singer-songwriter<\/b> Souad Massi<\/b>, that will be attending the festival. On the occasion of the screening, Souad Massi \u2013 considered one of the most successful female singer in the Arabic-speaking world \u2013 will perform for the Italian audience at Cinema Odeon.
\n\"Barakah<\/a>
\nAmong the highlights of the cinema program, from Saudi Arabia<\/span><\/b> it will come – as Italian Premi\u00e8re – the romantic comedy Barakha meets Barakha<\/i><\/b> by Mahmoud Sabbagh, the love story about a funny and improbable municipal agent responsible to enforce order in town, and a beautiful erratic ultra-famous Instagram video blogger; the first romantic comedy ever shot in Saudi Arabia, a country where cinema is forbidden since 1972.<\/p>\n

\"Starless<\/a>
\nFrom Iran<\/span> <\/b>several premi\u00e8res, including the documentary Starless Dreams <\/i><\/b>by Mehrdad Oskouei (2016, doc), winner of the Amnesty International Award at the Berlinale, an intimate and delicate portait of a group of under 18-year-old girls taken into care for a variety of reasons ranging from drug dealing and trafficking to pick-pocketing and manslaughter; Lantouri<\/b> (2016), which premiered at the Berlinale, the last feature of the talented Iranian director Reza Dormishian, telling the story of a gang that mugs people in broad daylight on the streets of Tehran and at the same time the love story turned tragic by external circumstances between gang member Pasha and Maryam, a socially committed, self-confident journalist; and the documentary Talk Radio Tehran<\/i><\/b> by Mahtab Mansour (doc, Italian premi\u00e8re).<\/p>\n

\"A_Syrian_Love_Story\"<\/a>
\nFrom Syria<\/span><\/b> comes the multi-award winning documentary A Syrian Love Story<\/i><\/b> by Sean McAllister (2015), a heartrending love story of an activist couple threatened by the horrors of war; together with other titles.
\n\"Parisienne_film<\/a>
\nWhile from the Lebanon<\/span><\/b> comes the latest film by Danielle Arbid Parisienne<\/i><\/b> (2015, fiction); the prizewinning documentary A Maid for Each<\/i><\/b> by Maher Abi Samra (2015, doc, Italian premi\u00e8re) on the market for foreign domestic workers in the Lebanon.<\/p>\n

From Afghanistan<\/span><\/b> the national premi\u00e8re of the profound documentary Love, Marriage in Kabul<\/i><\/b> <\/i>by Amin Palangi (2015, Italian premi\u00e8re).<\/p>\n

Israel:<\/span><\/b>\u00a0the award-winning documentary Women in Sink<\/i><\/b> <\/b>by Iriz Zaki (2015), shot In a little hair salon owned by a Christian-Arab in Haifa, Israel, where the director installs a camera over the washing-basin, where Arab and Jewish women share their differences and a community of views on politics, history and love; plus the film God’s Messengers<\/i><\/b> <\/b>by the famous Israeli documentarist Itzik Lerner (2015), a first-time inside look at the group of Jewish settlers who inhabit the illegal outpost of Havat Gilad.<\/p>\n

The festival will host also a Window on Bahrain<\/span><\/b>, a focus on the cinema coming from this country curated by Laura Aimone, with a special screening of short films from established directors and emerging talents: among the titles Steps <\/b>and Fish & Traps <\/b>by Salman Yousif, Canary <\/b>and The Good Omen <\/b>by Mohammed Rashed Buali.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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