Program 12th ALFILM

Despite the challenges and restrictions that the pandemic has brought to our lives in general, and to cultural life in particular, Arab cinema is doing really well. Several films from the 12th ALFILM Home Edition have conquered festivals and audiences worldwide. After premiering at the latest Venice Film Festival, Ameen Nayfeh’s feature debut and this year’s opening film 200 Meters, went on to win three awards at the El Gouna Film Festival, including Best Actor for Ali Suleiman. Sameh Alaa made history at this year’s Cannes Film Festival when his film I Am Afraid to Forget Your Face won the Palme d’Or for Best Short Film, whereas Sofia Alaoui’s So What If The Goats Die was awarded the Short Film Grand Jury Prize at Sundance and, more recently, the César of the Best Short Film. Sami Bouajila also won the César for Best Actor for his performance in A Son by Mehdi Bersaoui. Finally, The Man Who Sold His Skin by Kaouther Ben Hania is nominated for the Oscar of the Best International Feature, a first for Tunisia.

Striking cinematography, gripping stories and bold statements are at the heart of this year’s Official Selection alongside with strong protagonists who defy all odds and fight for change. The colorful documentary Amussu sheds the light on the struggle of Amazigh communities to maintain control on the natural resources of their lands and prevent the exploitation of their water reserves. Last Visit and Scales, both debuts from Saudi Arabia, center on protagonists who refuse to abide to the traditional gender roles assigned to them by their respective patriarchal societies. Adam and 143 Sahara Street paint portraits of strong women who, through their decisions and lifestyles, defy the status quo and take their destinies into their own hands, whereas Marianne Khoury undertakes the challenging task of telling the herstory of her family in her documentary film Let’s Talk.

Migration is also a central theme in the Official Selections of the 12th ALFILM Home Edition. Five fiction and documentary feature films tackle this issue, each exploring a different stage of the migration process. In The Man Who Sold His Skin, a young Syrian refugee is willing to turn his body into a piece of art in order to be able to move to Europe and be reunited with the woman he loves, whereas b immerses the audience in the radical and oppressive reality of a sinking boat transporting refugees across the Mediterranean. We Are From There follows two Syrian brothers in a journey of over 5 years that takes them from Damascus to Sweden and Germany and accompanies them while they try to establish themselves in their new found homes. Fortschritt Im Tal Der Ahnungslosen / Progress In The Valley Of The People Who Don’t Know, on the other hand, concentrates on questions like acceptance and integration as it tells the story of the unusual encounter between young Syrian refugees and workers of a former GDR factory. Finally, My English Cousin explores the life in exile of an Algerian man who has been living in London for over 15 years and who is torn between the two cultures to which he now belongs. 

To further elaborate on a theme that is so prominent in this year’s Official Selection, a panel discussion on the question of Flight and Migration in Film will be held together with the Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung and with Filmmakers Amal Alzakout (Purple Sea), Wissam Tanios and Milad Khawam (We Are From There).

A double feature brings together two films, The Sun And The Looking Glass and Fortschritt Im Tal Der Ahnungslosen / Progress In The Valley Of The People Who Don’t Know, who take a very different but equally compelling look on the topic of Place and Memory, and our short film program Fighting Against All Odds portrays children, men, and women who are placed in challenging situations and who have to find ways to overcome the obstacles that stand in their ways.