24 September
Resonating with layers of personal and political meaning, the messy aftermath of the Egyptian revolution is captured in Yousry Nasrallah's movie "After the battle". The film has just been released in France and Egypt. [...]
20 January
Blasted by the censors in her home country, Beirut Hotel, the third feature-length film from Franco-Lebanese director Danielle Arbid, is nevertheless scheduled for broadcast on our channel on January 20! Initially, the ARTE co-production was to be given a cinema release in Lebanon on January 19th. Herewith the tale of a chaotic production in a chaotic country, and an interview with Danielle Arbid, who discusses the prevailing climate in Lebanon, her battles, and her disillusionment. [...]
15 November
The latest movie of Romanian-born filmmaker Radu Mihaileanu, The Source (La Source des Femmes), was just released in French theaters. A modern-day fable exploring female empowerment in the Arab world. A comedy/drama set in a Morrocan village and centered on a battle of the sexes, where women threaten to withhold sexual favors if their men refuse to fetch water from a remote well. [...]
30 September
To accompany the Special cinema programmes from the Arab world, we showcase five interviews with five filmmakers from Arab countries. How were conditions under which films were made before the Arab Spring and what are their expectations now. First part of the series: The Egyptian director Yousry Nasrallah. [...]
Hicham Ayouch stands for a new generation of Moroccan filmmakers. Born in Paris, from Moroccan parents, he loves to create tension within his documentaries and movies. "Fissures", his latest film, just came out in the French and Moroccan theaters. Focusing on reflections and hopes about conditions of making movies in Morocco before and after the Arab Spring... [...]