Albawaba.com - Amman
The Arab-Mediterranean Film Festival held in Jordan April 16-24, is the 8th in the series of CinemaMed which has presented the best of Arab films in 7 cities throughout Europe in the past 6 months, and has been undertaken in cooperation with the European Union.
1- "Shadow of the City " by Jean Khalil Chamoun. Lebanon, 2000, Fiction.
Rami was forced to flee his village when he was 12 years old from the tidal wave of violence that turned into a Beirut. His musician friend was killed while, Yasmina, another friend, had to move out of the district. Now, twelve years after, Rami is still haunted by the memory of those people, shadows full of suffering, but also precious because they fill him with the resolve to fight to rebuild his nation.
2- "al-Medina" (the City) by Yousri Nasrallah. Egypt, France,1999, Fiction.
Ali is a young actor leaves his city in search of his aspirations in Paris. After trying different jobs, he decides to concentrate on boxing, especially after winning some matches. But this hard choice leaves him in hospital with amnesia and confusion, where he begins to review his experience. The new awareness takes him back to his origin, to his city where a new life awaits him.
3- Keid Ensa" by Farida Benlyazid. Morocco, Tunisia, France,1999
The Arab expression-Kaid Elnesa-is derived from an Andalusian folktale, and passed from one generation to the other. The beautiful maiden Lalla Aicha, the daughter of a rich merchant, one day catches the eye of the son of the Sultan. He begins to taunt her, and she decides to take up the challenge, although she finds him attractive, she cannot stand his manners. The prince persist with his mockery and she takes his attitude as provocation for her feminism. She decides to prove that a woman’s wiles are superior to anything men can imagine. This forced the sultan’s son to merry her by force but the woman’s wiles just begin.
4- "Closed Doors" by Atef Hatata. Egypt, France,1999, Fiction.
This is the story of a 15-years old boy during the Gulf crisis. Mohammed lives with his young mother, Fattiha, in Cairo. His elder leaves to fight in the Gulf, while his father in more intent on resting. Mohammed’s biding to her is the most precious thing in life, Attractive Fatima starts serving at a house to help pay for her son’s studies. The dilemma begins when her son’s teacher starts coming home to give Mohammed private lessons. The equilibrium between Fatima and her son gets disturbed when she falls in love with the teacher.
5- "Breeze of the Soul" by Abdellatif Abdelhamid. Syria,1998, Fiction.
At the heart of this film is a problematic love story. A man and a woman meet, fall in love, but she was forced to marry someone else who was so enamoured by her that he attempted suicide, which left her unhappy and restless. But the two lovers continue to see each other daily since they are colleagues at work. They have to face their deepest desires, and at the same time the religious and moral values imposed by their culture. How would story end.
6- "Civilized People" by Randa Chahal Sabbagh. Lebanon, Fiction, 1998.
During the civil war, some Lebanese residents fled to Europe, leaving luxurious apartments, splendid houses and a domestic staff of Filipinos, Egyptians and Sri-Lankans, who are imported into Lebanon in their thousands to work as servants. They and all the remaining citizens live under fire. Their experiences get mixed up with those of a young Muslim fighter and a Christian maid, the rich bourgeois woman who returns to look for her lover and cats.
7- "Bent Familia" by Nouri Bouzid. Tunisia,1997, Fiction.
The story of three different women in search of their identity who live in a world dominated by male chauvinism. Amina, Aida and Father, are very different, yet have many things in common. They meet, have an evening in out together where they express their deepest wishes, to be able t laugh and joke their light- hearted view of their dealings with men. But what changes is the price will that have to pay for this to become a reality.
7- "Land of Fear" By Daoud Abdel Sayed. Egypt,1999, Fiction.
8- "To Live in Paradise" by Bourlem Guerdjou. France, Belguim,1998, Fiction.
9- "Immigrants Memories" by Yamina Benguigui. Algeria. France,1997. Documentary.
11- "Fallen Angels Paradise" by Oussama Fawzi. Egypt, 1999,fiction
Tabl, a tramp who for the past ten years has done nothing but drink, take drugs and until his friends decide to hold a party for him. They transport his corpse from company of some prostitute friends. It was only ten years ago that Tabl had been Mr. Munir Rasmi, a model husband and father who suddenly kicked off the boring bourgeois life in favor of a simpler life, which in its way had its own happiness.
The whole process was observed by his daughter Salwa, who unable to understand his choice, is convinced she had lost her father forever.
12- "The Casablancans" by Abdelkader Lagtaa. Morocco, France, Fiction.
13- "Maktoub" by Nabil Avouch. Morocco,1997, fiction
13- "Ghost of Beirut" by Ghassan Salhab. France, Lebanon,1998. Fiction.
30-year-old Khalil returns to Beirut towards the end of the 80’s after the truce in the non-stop Lebanese conflict. He locks himself in a hotel room and only goes out at night, as if he feared seeing the city in the light of the day. But many people recognize him as the ghost of the man who disappeared some ten years ago. Khalil has nothing to say to the many questions everyone asks, which helps him resume his true identity, and forget the ghost born ten years earlier, but it won’t be easy, even in Beirut.
14- "the Box in the Desert” by Brahim Taski. Algeria, 1980, fiction.
15- "the Auras Wind" by Mohamed Lakhader-Hamina. Algeria, 1966,fiction.
16- "Tahya Ya Deedo" by Mohamed Zinet. Algeria,1971, fiction.
17- "Kateb Yacine" by Kamal Dehane. Algeria, 1989, Documentary.
18- "the Castle" by Mohamed Chouikh. Algeria, 1988, fiction.
19- "the Damned Women" by El-Hadj Guellal. Algeria, 1982, fiction.
