Jacob Burns Film Center and Brooklyn Academy of Music Present the Contemporary Arab Cinema Series

For the first time ever, the Jacob Burns Film Center (Pleasantville, NY) is presenting its Contemporary Arab Cinema series in partnership with the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) from September 20th - 27th. Brought together by these two nationally renowned centers for the arts, this year's selections reflect the diversity of the multifaceted situations and feelings Arab directors have within their cultural and political environments, including views of a complex world-filled with challenges but also music, joy, and family drama - we don't often hear about.

The Contemporary Arab Cinema series is curated by Lina Matta, a Lebanese-American based in Dubai. She is the director of MBC Group's TV channels 2, 4, Max and Variety. She has programmed this series for the JBFC since 2012.

Some of the incredible highlights of this series include:

• Kicking off opening night on September 20th, JBFC will be showing Wajib. Shot in the biblical city of Nazareth, this whip-smart family comedy-drama represents the third time filmmaker Annemarie Jacir's work was chosen as Palestine's submission for the Best Foreign Language Oscar. "An intimate, well-played disquisition on what it means to be a Palestinian abroad versus a Palestinian at home" (Variety), it's brought home more than a dozen awards at film festivals from Dubai to London to Locarno and cemented Jacir's reputation as a filmmaker to watch. After the movie, JBFC will hold a Q&A with filmmaker Annemarie Jacir via Skype, followed by a reception.
• On September 22nd, The Man Behind the Microphone reveals the incredible story behind a man and his music - Hedi Jouini - offering fascinating insights into Tunisia's cultural evolution and building a profound portrait of the godfather of Tunisian music, father to a nation yet not to his family. Jouini, who died in 1990, was the most popular musical star in Tunisian history. His songs continue to inspire revolutionaries and conservatives alike, speaking to the country's postcolonial social and political upheaval and its continuing search for identity in the wake of the Arab Spring. But why did such a public figure keep his fame hidden from his family? In this poignant documentary-a chronicle of a family and a country alike-Jouini's filmmaker granddaughter looks for answers. Attendees will enjoy a Q&A with writer/director/producer Claire Belhassine via Skype after the movie.
• Zagros, showing on September 26th, features a shepherd stunned to learn that his family has accused his wife of infidelity and that she is leaving their simple life in Kurdistan and taking their daughter to live in Brussels. Convinced of her innocence, Zagros leaves his family behind to join them. But starting a new life in a strange city is filled with challenges. Caught between tradition and modernity, he's baffled and outraged by the contrasts in lifestyles and by his wife's behavior, and he starts to entertain doubts that have tragic consequences. Winner of several festival awards, this is a provocative, engaging film. Followed by a Q&A with filmmaker Sahim Omar Kalifa, who was chosen as Best Kurdish Film Director in Istanbul in 2014, and was invited to become a voting member of THE ACADEMY AWARDS in 2016. Zagros is his first feature.

Contemporary Arab Cinema Series

Sept. 20, 7:00

OPENING NIGHT WITH RECEPTION -

Wajib

Annemarie Jacir. 2017. 96 m. NR. Various countries. Arabic with subtitles.

Q&A filmmaker Annemarie Jacir via Skype, followed by a reception

Tickets: $12 (members), $17 (nonmembers)

Sept. 21, 5:00

The Blessed

Sofia Djama. 2017. 102 m. NR. Algeria. French/Arabic with subtitles.

Tickets: $9 (members), $14 (nonmembers)

Sept. 21, 7:45

Les Petits Chats

Sherif Nakhla. 2015. 80 m. NR. Egypt. Arabic with subtitles.

Tickets: $9 (members), $14 (nonmembers)

Sept. 22, 5:00

Beauty and the Dogs

Kaouther Ben Hania. 2017. 100 m. NR. Various countries. Arabic with subtitles. Oscilloscope Laboratories.

Tickets: $9 (members), $14 (nonmembers)

Sept. 22, 7:30

The Man Behind the Microphone

Claire Belhassine. 2017. 86 m. NR. Tunisia/UK/Qatar. French with subtitles.

Q&A writer/director/producer Claire Belhassine via Skype

Tickets: $9 (members), $14 (nonmembers)

Sept. 23, 2:30

The Reports on Sarah and Saleem

Muayad Alayan. 2018. 127 m. NR. Palestine. Arabic/Hebrew/English with subtitles. Dada Films.

Q&A writer/producer Rami Alayan

Tickets: FREE FOR MEMBERS, $14 (nonmembers)

Sept. 23, 6:00

Heaven Without People

Lucien Bourjeily. 2017. 91 m. NR. Lebanon. Arabic with subtitles.

Q&A filmmaker Lucien Bourjeily via Skype

Tickets: $9 (members), $14 (nonmembers)

Sept. 24, 7:00

Investigating Paradise

Merzak Allouache. 2017. 135 m. NR. Algeria/France. Arabic with subtitles.

Tickets: $9 (members), $14 (nonmembers)

Sept. 25, 7:00

The Journey

Mohamed Al-Daradji. 2017. 82 m. NR. Various countries. Arabic with subtitles.

Q&A filmmaker Mohamed Al-Daradji via Skype

Tickets: $9 (members), $14 (nonmembers)

Sept. 26, 7:00

Zagros

Sahim Omar Kalifa. 2017. 102 m. NR. Belgium/Netherlands. Dutch/Kurdish with subtitles.

Q&A filmmaker Sahim Omar Kalifa

Tickets: $9 (members), $14 (nonmembers)

Sept. 27, 5:00

Induced Labour

Khaled Diab. 2017. 90 m. NR. Egypt. Arabic with subtitles.

Tickets: $9 (members), $14 (nonmembers)

Sept. 27, 7:15

Listen

Philippe Aractingi. 2017. 109 m. NR. Lebanon. Arabic/Hebrew/English with subtitles.

Q&A filmmaker Philippe Aractingi

Tickets: $9 (members), $14 (nonmembers)

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