FILMS
(listed alphabetically) *Indicates
a Premiere
The Aftermath: A Visit to Postwar Iraq
(Iraq) 2003 46 min. Reporter/Producer: Liz Jackson; Executive
Producer: Bruce Belsham; Association Producer: Michael Doyle;
for the Australian Broadcasting Company; Distributor: Films
for the Humanities and Sciences. In English.
Filmed right after the toppling of Saddam’s statue
(April, 2003), this program’s correspondents journeyed into
Baghdad to offer firsthand perspectives on the political, social
and religious fault lines exposed by the fall of Saddam Hussein.
The program features interviews with Iraqi clerics, businessmen,
scholars, street protesters, and US Army soldiers and their
commanders.
*Against My Will
(Pakistan) 2002 50
min.
Director: Ayfer Ergun; Produced by Humanist Broadcasting
Foundation; Distributor: First Run Icarus Films.
In Hindi w/English subtitles and narration.
In Pakistan, many women
who decide to leave abusive marriages are signing their own
death warrants. They risk being disfigured or murdered by men
who believe it is the only way to restore honor to the family.
At the Dastak women’s shelter in Lahore, women accused of
tarnishing the family honor find a safe haven. Here, they live
in safety, receiving both counseling and legal advice. Through
Kubra’s story, and the stories of other women at Dastak, the
film creates a portrait of one institution that is protecting
Pakistani women, at least the women who can make it there.
*Algeria’s
Bloody Years
(Algeria) 2003 59 min. Directors/Producers: Thierry Leclere,
Malek Bensmail, and Patrice Barrat with Samia Chala; for BBX,
Archive Z and Canal +; Distributor:
First
Run Icarus Films.
In Arabic and French w/English subtitles and narration.
During the last two decades, Algeria has been torn by
fighting between the military and the Islamic Salvation Front. Beginning
with the war of independence, this video examines the factors
leading to and the consequences of Algeria’s battle to create
a democratic society. The video offers explanations for the
waves of killings that characterize this period.
*Al-Jazeera: Voice of Arabia
(2003) 52 min.
Director: Tewfik Hakim; Producer: Alain Taieb for Riff
International and Arte France; Distributor: First
Run Icarus Films. In Arabic w/English subtitles and
narration.
This
film offers an insightful look at the history of Al-Jazeera,
from its quiet beginnings to becoming the “only trusted media
voice in the Arab World,” and told through interviews with
journalists and key stories of the past two years. Included are
the first reports of the World Trade Center catastrophe, the
bombing in Afghanistan (until the US bombed the Al-Jazeera
office in Kabul), interviews with Condoleeza Rice and Donald
Rumsfeld, along with discussions regarding the controversial
airing of the Osama Ben Laden tapes. Provocative, never dull,
Al-Jazeera airs programs challenging the status quo. (Contains
explicit sexual language.)
Armenia: A Genocide Denied
(Armenia/Israel)
2003 34 min. Executive Producer: Mike Carey; Supervising
Producer: Amos Cohen; Associate Producer: Martin Butler; ABC
Dateline; Distributor: Films for Humanities
& Sciences. In English.
This program investigates evidence of an Armenian
genocide by visiting sites of mass burials and presenting
testimonials from survivors and their descendants. Figures on
both sides of the debate are interviewed, including historian
Hilal Berktay, who leads the effort for recognition in Turkey;
Dr. Yari Auron, the Israeli author of the The Banality of
Indifference; and Arsian Terzioglu, head of the Turkish
government’s Armenian Research Institute.
Beat of Distant Hearts
(Algeria/UK)
1999 45 min. Director/Producer: Danielle Smith; Distributor: Arab
Film Distribution. In English and Arabic w/English
subtitles.
Through the lives and works of poets, singers and
painters, this beautiful film explores the collective experience
of exile, loss and war in Western Sahara. Filmed in the Saharawi
refugee camps of southwest Algeria.
Ben Barka: The Moroccan Equation
(France, Morocco) 2001 84 min. Director: Simone Bitton;
Executive Producer: Patrice Barrat; Producer: Article Z, ARTE
France, Les Films de la Passerelle, RTBF (Belgian Television),
Canal Horizons; Distributor:
First Run Icarus Films. In
French and Arabic w/English subtitles.
This is the story of Moroccan opposition leader Mehdi
Ben Barka, who was abducted on a Paris street in October 1965
and subsequently murdered; his body was never found, nor were
the culprits positively identified. The film interweaves the
personal history with contemporary
Moroccan history, spanning the struggle for independence and the
repressive monarchic regime that followed.
Brothers and Others
(US) 2002 60 min. Director: Nicolas Rossier; Producers: Baraka
Productions, Nicolas Rossier, Trilby MacDonald; Distributor: Arab
Film Distribution. In English.
This film follows a number of immigrants and
Americans in the heightened climate of hate, FBI and INS
investigations, and economic hardships that resulted from the
attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Shows direct
consequences of the “Patriot Act”.
*Covered Girls
(US) 2003 20 min.
Director/Producer: Janet McIntyre and Amy Wendel; Distributor: Filmakers
Library. In English.
Covered Girls is a surprisingly frank, bittersweet look at
Muslim-American teenage girls in post September 11 New York.
From a girls’ basketball game to a Harlem recording studio,
one door after another opens to reveal a colorful and startling
group of young women.
Driving an Arab Street
(Egypt) 2002 39 min. Director: Arthur Hurley; Producers: Arthur
Hurley, Cyrille Joye; Distributor: Arab Film
Distribution. In Arabic w/English subtitles.
Driving
an Arab Street
takes the viewer on a journey along the “Arab Street,” to
find out what people are actually saying about the West and
America. The film follows Egyptian taxi drivers as they navigate
the streets of Cairo and share their diverse perspectives on
both American and Egyptian society, culture, politics and the
relationship between these civilizations.
Drowning By Bullets
(Algeria) 2001 52 min. Director: Philip Brooks & Alan
Hayling; Executive Producer: Patrice Barrat; Associate Producer:
Jean Louis Saporito; Distributor: First Run
Icarus Films. In French w/English subtitles.
On the evening of October 17, 1961 about 30,000
Algerians, ostensibly French citizens, descended on central
Paris to protest an 8:30 curfew imposed by the French
authorities in response to repeated terrorist attacks by
Algerian nationalists in Paris and other French cities. This
video brings to light the truth of the ensuing massacre and its
subsequent coverup.
Duvarlar Mauern Walls
(USA/Germany/Turkey) 2000 83 min. Director/Producer: Can
Candan; self-distributed. In Turkish, German, English
w/English subtitles and narration. Courtesy of the filmmaker.
(FilmFest will show a 45 min. excerpt.)
1991 marked the anniversary of Turkish immigration to
Germany and the
increased visible violence towards Turkish immigrants. This film
is an “insider/outsider” immigrant experience
in post Berlin Wall and re-unified Germany.
Encomium
(Turkey) 2002 9 min. Director: Levent Arslan; Producers: Gul
Gurkan, Metin Gunay; Distributor: MG Films.
In Turkish w/English subtitles. Courtesy of the filmmaker.
A lovingly produced, poetic tour of Istanbul through
the eyes of photojournalist
Ara Guler, and a conversation with author Enis Batur.
Ahmet Ertugen: Recording Our Time
(US) 1998 10 min. CBS Sunday Morning; Produced by CBS. In
English. Courtesy of Atlantic Records.
Ahmet M. Ertegun is
Co-Chairman/Co-CEO of The Atlantic Group.
This program is a tribute to Ertegun and his deep
influence on the history of popular music in the US.
Garden in Khorkhom
(Canada) 2003 14 min. Director/Producer: Gariné
Tourossian. Courtesy of the filmmaker. In English.
Garden in Khorkhom
is a brief biographical glimpse into the life of Armenian artist
Arshile Gorky. Beautifully told through his paintings, his
relationship to his mother, the land, specifically this garden.
Artistically presented with rich visual imagery.
Homeland Insecurity
(US)
2001 8 min. Distributor: Third World
Newsreel. In English.
A recent string of hate crimes in the month following
September 11 is set within the historical context of jingoism
and nationalism in the US.
Inside
the Kingdom: Life in Saudi Arabia
(Saudi Arabia) 2002 23 min. Produced by ABC News; Distributor: Films
for the Humanities & Sciences. In English.
This ABC News program gains entrance to the powerful and
mysterious kingdom of Saudi Arabia to examine the politics,
religion, and culture of one of America’s key Muslim allies.
Tensions surrounding the 9/11 hijackings, the country’s
rampant unemployment, declining oil revenues, and the ongoing
drama in the Middle East are all discussed.
In
the Name of God: Holy Word, Holy War
(All Middle East)
2003 49 min. From the series: The Age of
Terror: A Survey of Modern Terrorism. Director: Daniel Korn;
Producer: Charlie Hawes for Discovery Communications Europe.
Distributor: Films for the Humanities & Sciences. In English.
By detailing key incidents ranging from the
Dawson’s Field hijackings to the Luxor massacre, this program
charts the ever-widening holy war that is pitting Islamists
against Zionists and the Arab world against the West. Interviews
with a wide variety of witnesses, experts and historians; a good
overview.
In
the Shadow of Saddam
(Iraqi Kurdistan) 2002 26 min. Director/Producer: Simon Boyce;
Executive Producer: David Royle; for National Geographic
Television and Film. Courtesy of Reza
and
Webistan. In English.
This
film follows National Geographic photographer: Reza, having
photographed the region of northern Iraq now protected by the UN
and known as Iraqi Kurdistan. He returns after 20 years to
document the changes. A beautiful visual portrait of a tragedy.
Iran, Veiled Appearances
(Iran) 2002 58 min. Director/Writer: Thierry Michel; Executive
Producer: Christine Pireaux; Produced by RTBF, ARTE France, and
CBA; Distributor: First Run Icarus Films. In
Farsi w/English narration and subtitles.
Defying and clarifying the concept of Iran that is
presented by US media and politicians, filmmaker Thierry Michel
gained access to both Iran’s paramilitary religious sects and
to the increasingly modernized youth, who express their desire
for a more open society and challenge the wisdom of their
parents who fought for and continue to embrace the ideals of the
Islamic Revolution.
Iraq: Voices From the Streets
(Iraq) 2002 22 min. Directors: Saul Landau and Sonia Argulo;
Distributor: The Cinema Guild. In Arabic and English
w/English subtitles.
This video joins a US congressional delegation that
traveled to Iraq in September 2002 to meet with Iraq officials
about the re-admission of UN arms inspectors in the hope of
averting war. Although filmed before the war, the information is
revealing and sure to stimulate discussion.
Islam: Discovery and Discussion
(various Middle East) 2003 15 “Lecture Launchers” ranging
from 10-20 minutes in length, total video running time: 117 min.
Executive Producer: Arnold Labaton; Producer: Missy Daniel;
drawn from the output of Thirteen/WNET’s Religion &
Ethics News Weekly–a PBS series. Distributor: Films
for the Humanities & Sciences. In English.
This film has excellent topics ranging from
understanding Islam, to women in Islam, to understanding the
Muslim vote, to immigration issues. MESA FilmFest will screen
number 6, “Lawrenceville, Georgia”, a town that had to
resolve differences between the Muslim and fundamentalist
Christian communities over the building of a traditional Muslim
cemetery.
Islamist Fervour
(Morocco) 2003 27 min.
Director/Producer: Nick Lazaredes; Distributor: Journeyman
Pictures. In Arabic/French w/English subtitles and
narration.
The
growing popularity of radical Islamic groups is just one more
sign of the tensions threatening to destabilize Morocco. The
King of Morocco is under increasing pressure to fight terrorist
groups; a contradiction when general elections presage an
increased Islamic presence. A fascinating exploration of a
moderate country struggling to maintain equilibrium between
Islamic fundamentalism and western ideals.
LATE
MARRIAGE
(Israel/France) 2001 100 min. Director: Dover Kosashvili;
Producers: Marek Rozanbaum, Transfax Film Production and Edgard
Tenenbaum, Morgane Production. Executive Producer: Udi
Yerushalmy; Distributor: New Yorker
Films. In Georgian and Hebrew, with English subtitles.
(Rated R-sexual content.)
Set in Tel Aviv’s Georgian émigré community, this
black comedy investigates what happens when a thirty-something
bachelor is forced to choose between his own heart and the
dominating will of his family.
Moments Israel 2002
(Israel/Palestine)
2002 17 filmmakers/17 films at 3 min. each. Total running time:
56 min. Producer: Matar Plus. In
Arabic/Hebrew/English w/English subtitles, translation and
narration.
A collection of films with a variety of views
regarding aspects of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. MESA
FilmFest will show: Status Quo and 72 Virgins.
Mountain Men and Holy Wars
(Chechnya) 2002 56 min. Director/Producer: Taran Davies;
Executive Producer: Donald Rosenfeld; Distributor: Wicklow
Films. In Russian and Chechen w/English subtitles.
Join filmmaker Taran
Davies and author Nick Griffin as they pursue the trail of the
holy warriors of the Caucasus, travelling through Azerbaijan,
Georgia, Armenia and Karabagh to tell the story of Imam Shamil,
the 19th century Islamic freedom fighter and guru of today’s
Chechen resistance to Russia.
My Terrorist
(Israel) 2002 58 min. Director/Producer: Yulie Cohen-Gerstel;
Executive Producer: Esther van Messel; Distributor: Women
Make Movies. In Hebrew, English w/English subtitles and
narration.
In 1978, filmmaker Yulie Cohen-Gerstel was
wounded in a terrorist attack by the Popular Front for the
Liberation of Palestine. A stewardess for
El Al Airlines, she was hijacked with other crewmembers
in London. In a remarkable twist of fate, twenty-three years
later, Gerstel began questioning the causes of violence between
Israelis and Palestinians and started to consider helping
release the man who almost killed her, Fahad Mihyi. This film
sensitively portrays Ms. Gerstel’s journey to change attitudes
with surprising compassion and depth.
Najeeb: A Persian Girl in America
(US)
2000 26 min. Director: Tanaz Eshaghian; Distributor: Third
World Newsreel. In Farsi and English and English narration.
A charming, personal documentary of diaspora Persian
Jews living in New York. In particular, we meet several young
women who have grown up in Iranian homes in the US, negotiating
the contradictions of their conservative, traditional homelife
with the America
that lies outside.
9/11
Through Saudi Eyes
(Saudi Arabia) 2002 53 min. Director: Bader Ban Hirsi; Producer:
Bassem Abdallah; Distributor: Films
for the Humanities & Sciences. In Arabic
w/English subtitles and narration.
In this program, a broad cross section of Saudis–parents
and neighbors of the accused hijackers, editors of Arab News and
Asharq Al Awasat, political and military analysts, a
psychologist, and others–give their perceptions of events and
issues involving September 11th.
Nuclear
Strikes: Lane to Waste
(USA) 2003 11 min. Director/Producer: Willem Hartong/Meeka
Salise Productions.
Self-distributed. In English.
An irreverent look at the escapades of world leaders we love
to hate: Muammar Qaddafi, the Ayatollah Khomeini and Saddam
Hussein. This is an animated short feature; the first of several
episodes, from a group of young animators.
*Oil in Iraq: Curse or Blessing?
(Iraq)
2003 52 min. Director: Robert Mugnerot in collaboration with
Baudoing Koenig; Producer: Sergei Gordoy; for Point du Jour and
ARTE France; Distributor: Filmakers Library.
In Arabic w/English subtitles and narration.
For anyone wanting to
understand the politics of oil in the Middle East, this film is
an important resource. It traces the history of the oil industry
in Iraq from the time the country was formed after World War I
as a British Protectorate. It details the exploitation of the
oil by Western oil companies until the industry was nationalized
in the 70s; rise of Saddam Hussein; the conflict with Iran and
Kuwait; the Gulf War and its legacy of sanctions.
Ordinary People
(Israel/Palestine)
2002 4 parts, each 27 min.
Director: Guy Lynn; Producer: Daniel J. Chalfen; Noga
Communication; a RaDical Media production. In Arabic and Hebrew
w/English subtitles and narration. Series Distributor: Solid
Entertainment. MESA FilmFest will show the following two
parts:
Eye of the Reporter 27
min. A balanced account of “a day in the life” of each
reporter: a Palestinian and an Israeli. An honest look at how
daily exposure to the Palestinian/Israeli conflict has affected
their jobs, outlook, and lives.
From
Bethlehem to Tel Aviv 27 min. This video follows two participants in the People
to People Project, where 250 cameras were given to 250 young
people (high school age) in both Palestine and Israel. They were
matched as penpals, exchanged phone calls, letters and images.
The project culminated with an exhibit of the photographs in a
Tel Aviv gallery.
**Portraits:
Egyptian Women Writers
(Egypt) 2002 22
min. Director/Filmmaker: Alia el Bialy; Courtesy of the
filmmaker.
Interviews with new Egyptian writers and critics. This film is
an introduction to Egyptian writers who are as yet unfamiliar to
an English-speaking audience.
*Prayers of a Warlord
(Afghanistan) 2003
52 min.
Director/Producers: Pascale Bourgaux & Andy Driver; Dizzy
Productions; Distributor: Filmakers Library.
In Dari and Pashto w/English subtitles and narration.
This film shows a glimpse into the life of Mamour
Hasan, an Afghan warlord who governs 50,000 people in Dash-Te-Qalah,
in the northeast corner of Afghanistan. This film highlights the
role that local warlords are playing in running the country
while giving some insight into the conditions of the people.
*Price of Honour
(Sweden, Iraqi Kurdistan) 2002 46 min. Director/Producer Johan
Asard for SVT; Distributor: Filmakers
Library. In Swedish, Kurdish w/English narration and
subtitles.
Pela
Atroshi, a child of Kurdish immigrants living in Sweden, was
lured back to the family’s village in northern Iraq, where she
was murdered by her uncle to uphold the family honor. This
compelling film follows Breen, her sister, who at great personal
risk brought the story to light back in Sweden. Breen had
escaped from Iraq determined to avenge her sister’s murder and
to bring the case to justice.
Purity
(Israel) 2002 63
min. Director: Anat Zuria; Producer: Amit Breuer; Distributor: Women
Make Movies. In Hebrew w/English subtitles.
A rare look into the world of Jewish religious
married life and sexuality, a topic which has hardly been
documented. The story of a family purification ritual, a hidden
path of struggle for religious women in the framework of strict,
masculine religious law that shapes the life of a couple and
female sexuality. The story of a subtle female rebellion within
the religious world, expressed through the personal point of
view of the director Anat Zuria, and the other women in the
film, her friends Natalie, Katie and Shira. Their openness to
the camera breaks a profound taboo of silence rooted in two
thousand-year-old laws and contemporary social pressures.
Ralph Bunche: The Peacemaker in Palestine
(US) 2003 37 min. Director: William Greaves; Producer: William
Greaves Productions, Inc. In English. (This video is No. 7
in a series of 14 “teaching modules” on Ralph Bunche.)
As
UN Acting Mediator in Palestine, Ralph Bunche, 1950 Nobel Peace
Prize winner, mediated four armistice agreements between the
state of Israel and the neighboring countries. Complete with
archival footage, photos, and exclusive interviews of
participants.
Rana’s Wedding
(Palestine) 2002 90 min. Director: Hany Abu-Assad; Distributor: Arab
Film Distribution. In Arabic with English subtitles.
Shot entirely on location in East Jerusalem and
Ramallah, Rana’s Wedding is a romantic drama about a
Palestinian girl who wants to get married to the man of her
choosing. Facing barriers and an occupation which have become an
everyday reality, Rana overcomes her fears and doubts, deciding
not to let anyone control her life.
Rum Business
(Jordan) 2002 24 min. Director/Producer: Nicholas
Turvey; Produced in association with the Oxford University
Refugee Studies Centre. In Arabic and English w/English
subtitles.
Filmed in Wadi Rum, whose springs have long
been an important stopping point for the nomadic Bedouin with
their herds. The film examines the impact of the settling of a
traditionally nomadic Bedouin tribe, the creation of a
“eco-tourist” reserve, and the conflict between
conservation, tourism and land rights.
Satin Rouge
(France/Tunisia) 2001 90 min. Director: Raja Amari; Producer:
ADR Productions, Nomadis Images, Arte France Cinema, l’Agence
Nationale de Promotion de l’Audiovisuel-Tunisie; Distributor:
Zeitgeist Films. In Arabic and French w/English subtitles.
Courtesy of the University of Arizona’s Center for Middle
Eastern Studies.
In
this visually rich film, a widowed Tunisian seamstress takes an
unlikely journey of self-discovery. While investigating a
suspected liaison
between her teenage daughter and a cabaret musician, Lilia
becomes drawn into the exotic nightclub netherworld.
*Somalia—The Neglected Civil War
(Somalia) 2002 49 min. Producer: NHK; Distributor: Filmakers
Library. In English w/English narration. From the series
entitled, “Africa in the 20th Century”.
One film in a series of four films on former Western
colonies in Africa, Somalia provides a good historical overview
of events since its independence in 1960. Includes information
on Islamic fundamentalist groups, their ties to Al-Qaeda and the
effects of the “war” on terrorism.
*The Temple of Doom
(India) 2002 49 min. Director: Pertti Pesonen for YLE;
Producers: Arkistot, YLE, India Today Television; Distributor: Filmakers
Library. In Hindi and Arabic w/English subtitles and
narration.
This documentary focuses on the Hindu/Muslim conflict
and the ensuing violence that erupted in the winter of 2002 in
Ayodhya, resulting in the deaths of six hundred people. Why
would religious intolerance surface after years of peaceful
coexistence?
Terrorism: An American Reality
(US)
2002 12 min. Director: Cynthia Lockhart; Distributor: Third
World Newsreel. In English.
Cynicism
and outrage animate this exploration of how American foreign
policy has fueled resentment around the world.
Under
the Skin of the City
(Iran)
2002 92 min. Director: Rakhshan Bani-Etemad; Distributor: Magnolia
Pictures. In Persian w/English subtitles.
Under
the Skin of the City
marks the first US film release by Rakhshan Bani-Etemad, one of
Iran’s most acclaimed filmmakers, and widely regarded as the
First Lady of Iranian Cinema. Providing a bracingly fresh and
provocative vision of Iranian urban society, the film… breaks
apart more established representations of Iranian society,
presenting us with a portrait that differs surprisingly little
from one of our own.
Special public screening sponsored by the ILEX
Foundation.
Underneath
Which Rivers Flow (Dreams of Perfection, The Gardens of Man)
(Iran) 1999 12 min. Director: Ted Samore; Producer: Ted
Samore Productions. In English. Courtesy of the filmmaker.
A Wedding in the Yuntdag
(Turkey)
2003 45 min. Director/Producer: Kimberly Hart.
Self distributed. In Turkish w/English subtitles.
A film about marriage in a village in the Yuntdag
region
of Western Turkey depicting the rituals of marriage, engagement,
the henna night and the taking of the bride.
We Too Sing America
(US) 2001 12 min. Director: Yun Jong Suh; Distributor: Third
World Newsreel. In English.
This short is a poignant and revealing document of
the thought, hopes and fears of Muslim, Arab-American and South
Asian children in the midst of a country calling for war and
unconditional compliance after the events of September 11. Good
for younger audiences and outreach purposes.
Women of the Wall
(Israel) 1999 31
min. Director/Producer: Faye Lederman; “Squeeze the Stone
Productions”; Distributor: New Day
Films. In Hebrew w/English subtitles and narration.
Feminism
arrives at the Western Wall in Jerusalem, in the form of a
women’s prayer group started in 1989. Despite verbal and
physical attacks, these women continue fighting for the right to
pray in this holy space, thereby testing the limits of and
expanding the interpretations of Judaism in Israel.
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