The School of Law and Government - Middle East Film Series

The School of Law and Government is running a film series about the Middle East. We will screen 8 movies about politics, gender, conflict, colonialism, ect. of and in the region. You are more than welcome to join, if you are interested.

DCU MIDDLE EAST FILM SERIES 2015 Sem 2 ROOM HG17, 6 TO 8

THU MARCH, 5: FACING MIRRORS ( N. AZERBAYJANI, 2013; IRAN)

Set in contempoary Iran, FACING MIRRORS is a story of an unlikely and daring friendship that develops despite social norms and religious beliefs. Although Rana is a traditional wife and mother, she is forced to drive a cab to pay off the debt that keeps her husband in prison. By chance she picks up the wealthy and rebellious Edi, who is desperately awaiting a passport to leave the country. At first Rana attempts to help, but when she realizes that Edi is transgender, a dangerous series of conflicts arises. Directed by Negar Azarbayjani, FACING MIRRORS is the first narrative film from Iran to feature a transgender main character.

THU MARCH, 12: WADJDA (H. AL-MANSOUR, 2012; SAUDI ARABIA)

WADJDA is a movie of firsts. This first feature film shot entirely in Saudi Arabia is the story of a young girl living in a suburb of Riyadh determined to raise enough money to buy a bike in a society that sees bicycles as dangerous to a girl's virtue. Even more impressive, WADJDA is the first feature film made by a female Saudi filmmaker. In a country where cinemas are banned and women cannot drive or vote, writer- director Haifaa Al Mansour has broken many barriers with her new film.

THU MARCH, 26: TURTLES CAN FLY (B. GHOBADI, 2005; IRAQI KURDISTAN/KRG)

TURTLES CAN FLY takes place in the days leading up to America's second war against Iraq, in a small village and refugee camp on the border of Iraq and Turkey. Soran Ebrahim stars as Satellite, a boy nicknamed for his obsession with technology. Satellite is also obsessed with the United States, and sprinkles bits of English throughout his speech. His strong personality and his resourcefulness have made him a leader among the younger children in the village. Satellite finds himself smitten with an orphan girl, Agrin, who wanders into the refugee camp with her armless older brother, and a little boy who is nearly blind. Henkov, seemingly able to predict the future, earns a meager living clearing minefields, like Satellite, so Satellite sees him, at first, as a rival. But his earnest desire to help Agrin eventually extends to her family.

THU APRIL, 2: 5 BROKEN CAMERAS (E. BURNAT, G. DAVIDI, 2012; PALESTINE)

The critically-acclaimed 5 BROKEN CAMERAS is a deeply personal, first-hand account of life and non-violent resistance in Bil’in, a West Bank village surrounded by Israeli settlements. Shot by Palestinian farmer Emad Burnat, who bought his first camera in 2005 to record the birth of his youngest son, Gibreel, the film was co-directed by Burnat and Guy Davidi, an Israeli filmmaker. Structured in chapters around the destruction of each one of Burnat’s cameras, the filmmakers’ collaboration follows one family’s evolution over five years of village upheaval. Burnat watches from behind the lens as olive trees are bulldozed, protests intensify and lives are lost in this cinematic diary and unparalleled record of life in the West Bank.

THU APRIL 9: UNDER THE BOMBS (P. ARACTINGI 2007; LEBANON)

During a cease-fire in the Lebanon-Israeli conflict of 2006, a Christian taxi driver brings a Shiite woman from Beirut to the heart of the conflict in the country's south. While they scour the rubble of local towns for her son they discover that despite their very different backgrounds they have much in common. During their trip through the desolate countryside, the two travellers develop a deep bond as a response to the death looming all around them. The film was shot entirely on location during the summer of 2006, in the middle of the ruins of war-torn Lebanon. Director Philipe Aractingi only hired two professional actors, the rest are real refugees, journalists, soldiers, etc. playing themselves.

THU APRIL, 16: DAYS OF GLORY (R. BOUCHAREB, 2006; FRANCE)

Time period: 1944-1945. The liberation of Italy, Provence, the Alps, the Rhone Valley, the Vosges and Alsace marked vital stages in the Allied victory. And, in the place that France was able to take among the Allies following the Armistice. This victorious and bloody march on Germany was carried out by the 1st French Army, recruited in Africa to sidestep the German occupiers and the officials of the Vichy regime: 200,000 men, including 130,000 "natives" comprising 110,000 North Africans and 20,000 Black African. The rest of the force was made up of French North Africans and of young Frenchmen who had fled the Occupation. This is the forgotten story of the so-called "native" soldiers.

THU APRIL, 23: RETURN TO HOMS (T. DERKI, 2013; SYRIA/GERMANY)

Winner of the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize for Documentary at the Sundance Festival in 2014, RETURN TO HOMS tells the story of nineteen-year-old Basset, the goalkeeper for the Syrian national soccer team. When revolution breaks out the charismatic young man becomes an iconic protest leader and singer. His songs reflect his dream of peaceful liberation from Assad's brutal regime. Osama is a 24-year-old media activist and pacifist wielding his camera to document the revolution. But when the army cracks down and their beloved Homs becomes a bombed-out ghost town, these two peaceful protesters take up arms and transform into renegade insurgents, with devastating results.

THU APRIL, 30: I AM NASRINE (T. GHARAVI, 2013; UK/IRAN)

Set in modern day Tehran, and the UK, I AM NASRINE follows the paths of Nasrine and Ali, sister and brother in a comfortable, middle class Iranian home. When Nasrine has a run-in with the police, the punishment is more than she bargained for. At her father's bidding, Nasrine and Ali set out for the UK, torn about leaving behind their home and all that they know, embarking on a reluctant exile. Nasrine is quick to settle into her new life, making friends, forming bonds, including Nichole from the gypsy/travelers community. All the while her brother Ali struggles with the realities of life in the UK and his awakening sexuality. Then comes 9/11. Their parents will be unable to join them in Britain, leaving them quite alone. Things spiral further out of control when an unimaginable tragedy occurs. Nasrine must discover an incredible courage within her to accept what fate has dealt her; discovering that the end of her journey is really just the beginning.