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Current Arab Cinema

From January 27, 2017 until February 24, 20178:00 p.m.
CORDOBA
Casa Árabe Auditorium (at Calle Samuel de los Santos Gener, 9). 8:00 p.m. Free entry
Original language version with subtitles in Spanish.

Casa Árabe’s headquarters in Cordoba is hosting the film series “Current Arab Cinema.” 

For several years now, cinema in the Arab world has proven to have a great ability to reflect the complex reality of Arab societies. The work by these directors, many of whom are exceptional documentary film makers, has provided us with amazing testimonials of these years of important social and political transformations. However, Arab film also continues to produce fictional productions with a heavy dosage of creativity  and sophistication. Casa Árabe is devoting its film schedule in January and February to three recent works that highlight these features amongst many directors. 

This series also includes the latest major Jordanian production Theeb (Wolf), Naji Abu Nowar’s debut as a director. His adventure film, set in the era and landscapes of Lawrence of Arabia, was nominated for best foreign film at the 2016 Oscars. The interesting and prolific cinema production in Palestine has brought us The Wanted 18, co-directed by Palestinian Amer Shomali and Canadian Paul Cowan, an original work which mixes animated drawings and stop-motion animation with historical archive footage and interviews with main role-players in Palestinian civil society during the first Intifada. 

Last of all, we deal with a hot topic of the day, the arrival of refugees in Europe, in all its complexity (sometimes with a touch of irony), through the Norwegian feature Letter to the King, by a director of Iraqi Kurdish origin, Hicham Zaman. Bearing witness to the acknowledgment and quality of the four films which make up this series is the fact that all of them have received awards at international festivals over the last two years.
Current Arab Cinema
  • Theeb (Wolf)

    January 27, 20178:00 p.m.
    CóRDOBA
    Casa Árabe Auditorium (at Calle Samuel de los Santos Gener, 9). 8:00 p.m. Free entry
    Original language version with subtitles in Spanish.
    Screening of the year 2015 Oscar-winning film. 
    It is 1916 in the desert of Wadi Rum, Jordan. As war rages on in the Ottoman Empire, Hussein brings up Wolf, his nearly adolescent brother, in an isolated, traditional Bedouin community. One night, their peaceful existence is interrupted by the arrival of an officer from the British army and his guide, who ask Hussein to guide them on a mysterious trip to a well. Wolf decides to follow them, and they all soon face the inclement events of a solitary journey. 
  • The Wanted 18

    February 10, 2017 8:00 p.m.
    CóRDOBA
    Casa Árabe Auditorium (at Calle Samuel de los Santos Gener, 9). 8:00 p.m. Free entry
    Original language version with subtitles in Spanish.
    Screening of a documentary about Palestinian civil resistance during the era of the first Intifada.
    Animated documentary with archival footage and interviews which remind us of a unique moment in Palestinian civil resistance during the times of the first Intifada. The town of Beit Sahour, very close to Bethlehem, was the site where several local producers began an initiative to start up a dairy production business that would make it possible to break the monopoly of milk distribution amongst the Palestinian population held by Israeli companies. This creative documentary was named after the 18 cows which played a main role in this episode of contemporary Palestinian history. 
  • Letter to the King 

    February 24, 20178:00 p.m.
    CóRDOBA
    Casa Árabe Auditorium (at Calle Samuel de los Santos Gener, 9) 8:00 p.m. Free entry
    Original language version with subtitles in Spanish.
    Final screening of this film series in Cordoba.  
    Letter to the King tells us about the experiences of five refugees living in Norway across the span of one day. During that day, the five are taken to visit the capital city, Oslo, where events take place which produce a sudden change in their monotonous lives. They soon realize that each and every one of them has his or her own goals to achieve on their journey. The five of them must reach important decisions that day, as they gradually face the emotions of happiness, humiliation, love and vengeance. The five stories are linked together by a letter written by elderly Mirza, an Iraqi Kurd who has been living in the country for ten years. He is willing to do anything to deliver his letter to the king personally.