Lebanese film wins top prize at Dubai Festival

Lebanese film "Taht el Qasef" ("Under Bombing") directed by Philippe Aractingi won the top prize at the fourth Dubai international film festival.

Training Morocco's Next Generation of Film-Makers

"Prince Moulay Rachid of Morocco, younger brother of King Mohammad VI and president of the Marrakesh International Film Festival Foundation, snipped symbolic red and green ribbons on Sunday to mark the official inauguration of Marrakesh's new School of Visual Arts, better known as the Ecole Superieure des Arts Visuels (ESAV).

"The first proper film school of its kind in Morocco, ESAV moved out of its cramped quarters in the old city two months ago and has now taken up residence in an expansive new campus located in the northern part of Marrakesh. [...]"

Source: The Daily Star (Lebanon), December 15, 2007

Jurist decries politicized Dubai Film awards

"An Egyptian writer and jurist at the 4th Dubai International Film Festival lashed at the criteria set for giving awards to winning movies, arguing the standards were more political than artistic or cinematic.

"Dr. Miral Al-Tahawy told AlArabiya.net that she voted against movies from Egypt because of their artistic shortcomings, but was surprised to find other jurists voting for equally flawed Lebanese movies and giving them awards 'out of solidarity with Hezbollah'.'Politicizing the awards harms the festival's reputation after it managed in the last 3 years to assert its presence among Arab and International film festivals.'

"Tahawy was particularly concerned at Borhane Alaouie's 'Khalass' which was awarded Best Screenplay and Best Editing: 'Some of the jurists saw the director's patriotic background reason enough for giving the awards. They wanted to get him out of the frustration he's been suffering for years. These are not artistic criteria'. [...]

"Tahawy said the same reasons were behind naming Philippe Aractingi's 'Taht Al-Qasf' (Under the Bombs) Best Arab Film. The film takes place during the 2006 war between Hezbollah and Israel. The film's star Nada Abu-Farhat got Best Actress. 'There were much better films that didn't get any awards, although I'm sure they will in other festivals. The French-Algerian 'Yellow House' is a good example'. [...]

"The Dubai Film Festival ended it's 4th round Saturday December 15th, 2007 with a Lebanese sweep. Among the Arab movies that participated in the competition were the Moroccan 'Al-Kouloub Al-Mohtareqa' (Burnt Hearts), the Tunisian 'Akher Film' (The Last Movie), the Syrian 'Kharej Al-Taghteya' (Out of Coverage), and the Egyptian 'Shaqet Masr El-Gedida' (The Heliopolis Flat) and 'Alwan El-Sama El-Sabaa' (Colors of the Seven Heavens)."

Official Dubai Film Festival Web Site: http://www.dubaifilmfest.com/

Source: Al Arabiya (Saudi-owned, Dubai-based), December 17, 2007

"The white hawk" project put in the shelves

"This year's celebration of El Emir Abdelkader's allegiance paid to him by the Algerian people was intended to mark the kick off of the film dedicated to him put in the shelves for so many years.

"The minister of culture Ms Khalida Toumi has, officially announced the resuming of this old artistic project in a press conference after having called upon M. Boualem Bessayeh to write the script of this giant project pending a director and a producer to start the shooting. But this long awaited event doesn't seem to materialize so far. Asked about the project, well informed sources from the ministry of culture said that this one counts among the major projects of the Algerian president, and nobody knows about the details except the minister herself.

"For his part, the head of the film industry department at the ministry M. Karim Ait Meziane denied in previous declarations that the movie would be part of the event 'Algiers, capital of Arab culture2007', while unnamed sources revealed that the project was topped a priority of the event. The overall amount of money allotted by the president Bouteflika was estimated at around USD 5 million. [...]"

Source: Echorouk (Algeria), December 15, 2007

"Arab film replaces Bin Laden with Bellydancing"

"No bombs. No bloodshed. No bin Laden. Belly dancing is the theme Moroccan director Nabil Ayouch says can best communicate the Arab world to the West and reconcile cultural differences. 'Whatever Lola Wants,' Ayouch's story of an American woman who encounters Arab life through belly dancing lessons, premiered at the Dubai International Film Festival this week, impressing many critics. [...]

" 'It's so much better to give the image of the Arab world through belly dancing than Osama bin Laden... it's all a question of misunderstanding and it's not because we are different, we can't talk or understand each other,' he [Nabil Ayouch] said. Ayouch hopes Lola will make it in Hollywood. [...] 'Most of the movies I have seen in America about the Arab world are always talking about the same matters -- terrorism, bombings, arms, fighting -- but what Lola carries back with her to New York is belly dancing,' he said. [...]"

Marrakesh film festival captivates crowds with quality cinema

"[...] The Marrakesh International Film Festival, which opened with an opulent ceremony at the Palais des Congres Friday night, comes too late in the year to host an onslaught of world premieres. It is too young - and geographically too far removed from the power centers that fuel the global movie business - to be a major player like Cannes.

"In terms of regional standing, it doesn't have the institutional status of Cairo, Damascus, Tangier or Carthage. It doesn't have the money to make a splash the size of the new film festivals in Dubai or Abu Dhabi. But it does have the chance to forge a reputation as a platform for discovery and a forum for film lovers. Judging from the primary lineup of more than 100 films and the secondary schedule of master classes and other related events, the festival in Marrakesh is taking full advantage of that opportunity.

"Of course, the opening reception on Friday night did radiate a considerable amount of celebrity heat. Martin Scorsese awarded a Golden Star statuette to Leonardo Di Caprio, who has been in Morocco for the past three months shooting "Body of Lies," Ridley Scott's forthcoming feature about the war in Iraq, in which the Hollywood heartthrob stars alongside Russell Crowe. [...]

"But otherwise, the festival seems concerned with content and craft over glitz and glamour. It is coursing through key moments of beauty, intrigue and intensity, much like the pacing of vivid scenes in a memorable film. One such moment was Sunday night's open-air screening of Ahmed al-Maanouni's "Transes" on Jemaa al-Fna, Marrakesh's enormous, jostling public square located at the mouth of the old city's labyrinthine souk.

" "Transes," titled "Al-Hal" in Arabic and "Trances" in English, is a 1981 documentary about Nass al-Ghiwane, a group of five musicians from the Hay al-Mohammadi neighborhood of Casablanca that formed in the 1960s and became legendary in the 1970s for their mesmerizing blend of Sufi chants, Gnawa beats, Aita intonations and Melhoun poetry. Maanouni's film catches up with Nass al-Ghiwane just after the death of one the group's founding members, Boujemaa Hagour, in 1974. Much more than a concert film, "Transes" pieces together a collage of wild performances, candid interviews, roaming street shots and deeply historical archival footage, all of which digs into the roots of the music. [...]"

The Marrakesh International Film Festival continues through December 15. For more information, please call +212 24 324 493 or check out http://www.festivalmarrakech.info/

Delice Paloma: Algerian film tackles prostitution, homosexuality

"A new government-funded movie about prostitution and homosexuality, in which a well-known actress takes on the role of a shrewd madam, has stirred controversy in the conservative Algerian society. Algerian movie star Biyouna plays a whore called Madame Aldjeria (Algeria) in the movie, Delice Paloma. Paloma is the name of one of the prostitutes in the network, who Aldjeria uses to lure men. She is dubbed 'delice' (sweet).

"In one of the scenes, Biyouna - known for her benign roles in comedies - appears wearing a dress with the colors of the Algerian flag. Critics accuse her of defaming Algeria. The Algerian government reportedly paid 10 million dinars (almost 150,000 U.S. dollars) to fund the film. But Abdel-Karim Omezian, a spokesman for the Film Division at the Ministry of Culture, told AlArabiya.net that the ministry never gave a permit to Biyouna or director Nadir Moknèche [he is known as the Algerian Almodovar]. [...]

"In a phone interview from Beirut, Biyouna defended the role, telling AlArabiya.net that the movie reflects reality in Algerian society: 'Lots of girls are forced into prostitution. It's time we break taboos.' Biyouna, known as a comedian who plays 'decent' roles, tried to commit suicide in 1997. She attributed that to poverty and lack of work. [...]"

Source: Al Arabiya (Dubai-based, Saudi-owned), December 9, 2007

December 11, 2007: Terrorist Attack in Algeria

See the following movie on Terrorism in Algeria:

Morituri:

http://memriarabmovies.blogspot.com/2007/09/new-algerian-movie.html

Bab El Oued City:

http://memriarabmovies.blogspot.com/2007/09/bab-el-oued-director-merzak-allouache.html

Rachida:

http://memriarabmovies.blogspot.com/search?q=rachida

Algerian Movie on Modernity and Tradition

Viva Laldjérie

Director: Nadir Moknèche

Script Writer: Nadir Moknèche

Cast: Lubna Azabal, Biyouna, Nadia Kaci, Jalil Naciri

Release year: 2004

Genre: Drama

Country: Algeria

Time: 117 Minutes

About the movie: "Viva Laldjérie explores the lives of three women in Algiers as they manage to get by despite their daily difficulties. Twenty seven-year-old Goucem works at a local photo shop and lives with her mother Sandjak in a low-rent residential hotel. She is torn between tradition and modernity, between her mother’s desire for her to find a husband and her aspiration to live like a modern young woman. She dates a married doctor and hopes that he will leave his wife, but her dreams are shattered when she discovers that she is not his only mistress. Sandjak, formerly an exotic dancer, hides from fundamentalists who are set on killing her. When she hears that an old cabaret is being closed to make room for a new mosque, she tries to buy it. In the process, she is encouraged to perform again. Fifi, a prostitute who lives next door to Sandjak and Goucem, is usually very busy entertaining men in her room, including influential ones who should not be there. Viva Laldjérie highlights the tensions between modern and traditional society in a country emerging from civil war and dominated by men." Source: facecouncil.org

About the Director: Viva Laldjérie is the second film by Nadir Moknèche. His first film, The Harem of Madame Osmane, opened in theatres to critical acclaim in France in 2000 after screening at numerous international festivals. After growing up in Algiers, Nadir studied in France, and then at New York's New School for Social Research, where he made two shorts, Jardin and the award-winning Hanifa. Source: filmmovement.com

Account on You Tube was closed due to graphic images on tortures in Egypt

"The video-sharing Web site YouTube has restored the account of a prominent Egyptian anti-torture activist, and said on Monday he may repost graphic images of purported rights abuses if he puts them in proper context.

"Wael Abbas said last week that YouTube had suspended his account and that around 100 images he had posted, including clips of police brutality, purported voting irregularities and anti-government demonstrations were no longer accessible. [...]

" 'Our general policy against graphic violence led to the removal of videos documenting alleged human rights abuses because the context was not apparent,' the statement [in You Tube] said. 'Having reviewed the case, we have restored the account of Egyptian blogger Wael Abbas. And if he chooses to upload the video again with sufficient context so that users can understand his important message, we will of course leave it on the site.'

"The statement did not clarify what would constitute sufficient context.

"Rights activists had complained that by shutting down Abbas's account, YouTube was closing a significant portal for information on rights abuses in Egypt just as Cairo was escalating a crackdown on opposition and independent media."

Source: Al Arabiya (Saudi-owned, Dubai-based), December 3, 2007

" Is You Tube feeding the regional crackdown on cyber-activists?"

" Author: Esra'a (Bahrain) - December 3, 2007

"The internet has been a prominent tool for human rights activists to convey and receive controversial information. Many interactive websites allow activists to network, help, and empower each other.

"One of such sites is YouTube, a video-sharing network where users can upload and host videos. YouTube continues to serve as a vital source for videos that reveal various human rights abuses such as police brutality in restricted countries like Egypt and Iran. [...]

"Egyptian blogger and anti-torture activist Wael Abbas is one of several Egyptians who take advantage of the many benefits of sites like YouTube to further their struggle for justice in their country. Abbas’ videos contained unpleasant and alarming scenes of police brutality in Egypt, many of which were revealed for the very first time. [...]

"This, one would think, is a positive outcome of technology. For once, rampant regional censorship couldn’t stop us from accessing videos that showed the true nature of certain governments and what they were actively trying to hide from the public.

"YouTube apparently holds a different viewpoint.

"Last week, its staff suspended Abbas’ YouTube account for several days, causing the deletion of dozens of videos that reveal torture taking place in Egyptian prisons.

"To YouTube’s credit, Abbas’ account was restored only days after its suspension, likely due to public concerns and pressure, but with all of the videos removed.

"Videos of Abbas’ media appearances concerning his cyber-activism were also deleted, even though these videos contained absolutely no violence or graphic footage that could have been in violation of the website’s policy and legal use.

"Why, then, couldn’t YouTube only remove the videos in question?

"Why did YouTube terminate Abbas’ account entirely, making all of his videos inaccessible? [...]"

Source: www.mideastyouth.com

You Tube removes videos by Egyptian Activists on regime torture victims

"A storm is brewing in the Egyptian blogosphere after video hosting site YouTube removed several videos featuring policemen torturing victims from their site.

" 'This is by far the biggest blow to the anti-torture movement in Egypt,' writes Wael Abbas, an award winning blogger, whose videos capturing the torture of victims at the hands of police were removed from YouTube."

Source: http://www.globalvoicesonline.org/