Films

Index / Activities / Films / Contemporary Arab Women Directors II

Contemporary Arab Women Directors II

From October 16, 2020 until December 04, 2020Check schedules and conditions for entry in each city.
MADRID AND CORDOBA
Casa Árabe’s headquarters in both cities. Check schedules and conditions for entry in each city.
Films shown in the original language version with subtitles in Spanish

For the second year in a row, we are devoting one of our film series to a selection of the best, most up-to-date films directed by Arab women, to be presented as a special section of the “Cinema by Women” Film Festival.

Though as part of a smaller audience in accordance with current rules, this autumn you can see six films by five women directors related with countries such as Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Syria, Tunisia and Morocco, all on our movie screens in Madrid and Cordoba. This selection includes some films already released at commercial movie theatres, along with others shown to the public for the first time in our country, thus offering a kaleidoscope of experiences and themes in both documentaries and fictional feature films.

This year, both the film series put on by Casa Árabe and the movies included in the “Cinema by Women” Film Festival (“Cine por mujeres”) are being presented at a hybrid edition, with some screenings also being held in an online format through the platform Filmin, where the festival can be seen in its entirety from November 4 through 15. Further information at www.festivalcinepormujeres.com

Information sheet on the film series in Madrid and in Cordoba.
Contemporary Arab Women Directors II
  • “The Perfect Candidate”

    “The Perfect Candidate”

    October 16, 20207:30 p.m.
    MADRID
    Casa Árabe Auditorium (at Calle Alcalá, 62). 7:30 p.m. 5 euros: general tickets at the box office.
    4 euros: Tickets purchased online, the officially unemployed, Casa Árabe Language Center students and Youth Card holders, by showing the proper documentation. You may only receive one discount. Advance sales at www.casaarabe.es up to the day of the screening at 12:00 p.m. Those tickets not sold online will be put on sale the day of the screening at the Casa Árabe headquarters as of one hour before each film (cash payment only). Assigned seats with tickets.

    The decision on whether to hold this activity in person will depend upon the current health situation. Thank you for your patience.
    Films shown in the original language version with subtitles in Spanish.
    This film series, which we are devoting to Arab women filmmakers, is now beginning for the second year in a row at our headquarters in Madrid. Buy your tickets now to see this film by Haifaa Al Mansour.
    “The Perfect Candidate” by Haifaa Al Mansour (Saudi Arabia. 2019, 101’) Fiction
    Maryam is a young and ambitious doctor who works at the health clinic in a small Saudi Arabian city. Despite her excellent qualifications, she must earn the respect of her male colleagues and the acceptance of her patients on a daily basis. Outraged by the neglect of the Town Council, which puts off paving the road to the hospital time and again, she decides to run for the city’s elections. Her unexpected candidacy for mayor surprises her family and stirs up a community which is unaccustomed to the idea of a woman leading the council.

    Cast: Mila Al Zahrani, Nora Al Awadh, Dae Al Hilali, Khalid Abdulrahim.

    Awards and Festivals: Venice Film Festival, 2019; film nominated for the Independent Spirit Awards, Los Angeles, CA, 2019.
  • Film: “Noura’s Dream”

    Film: “Noura’s Dream”

    October 23, 20207:30 p.m.
    MADRID
    Casa Árabe Auditorium (at Calle Alcalá, 62). 7:30 p.m. 5 euros: general tickets at the box office.
    4 euros: Tickets purchased online, the officially unemployed, Casa Árabe Language Center students and Youth Card holders, by showing the proper documentation. You may only receive one discount. Advance sales at www.casaarabe.es up to the day of the screening at 12:00 p.m. Those tickets not sold online will be put on sale the day of the screening at the Casa Árabe headquarters as of one hour before each film (cash payment only). Assigned seats with tickets.

    The decision on whether to hold this activity in person will depend upon the current health situation. Thank you for your patience.
    Films shown in the original language version with subtitles in Spanish.
    SCREENING CANCELLED. Our film series devoted to contemporary Arab women directors continues with this fictional film by Hinde Boujemaa. Tickets are now being sold online.
    NOTICE: For reasons beyond Casa Árabe’s control, we have been forced to cancel this screening. We apologize for any inconvenience. Thank you for your patience.

    “Noura’s Dream” [Le rêve de Noura] by Hinde Boujemaa
    (Tunisia, Belgium, France and Qatar. 2019, 92’) Fiction
    Noura is an independent woman who raises her three children on her own and earns a living by working in a hospital laundry room. While her husband Sofiane is in jail, she meets Lassad, the love of her life. Forced to hide their relationship, Noura files for divorce, but a few days before it is granted, the dream of living with her lover is shattered by Sofiane’s imminent release from prison. This is director Hinde Boujemaa’s second feature film.

    Cast: Hend Sabri, Lofti Abdelli, Hakim Boumassoudi, Belhassen Harbaoui, Ikbal Harbaoui and Jamel Sassi.

    Awards and Festivals: Toronto International Film Festival -TIFF- (Canada, 2019); Red Sea IFF International Film Festival (Saudi Arabia, 2020).
  • “Papicha”

    “Papicha”

    October 30, 20207:30 p.m.
    MADRID
    Casa Árabe Auditorium (at Calle Alcalá, 62). 7:30 p.m. 5 euros: general tickets at the box office.
    4 euros: Tickets purchased online, the officially unemployed, Casa Árabe Language Center students and Youth Card holders, by showing the proper documentation. You may only receive one discount. Advance sales at www.casaarabe.es up to the day of the screening at 12:00 p.m. Those tickets not sold online will be put on sale the day of the screening at the Casa Árabe headquarters as of one hour before each film (cash payment only). Assigned seats with tickets.

    The decision to hold this activity in person will depend upon the health situation at the time. Thank you for your patience.
    Films shown in the original language version with subtitles in Spanish.
    Second screening in Madrid within our film series devoted to contemporary Arab women directors, with this film by Mounia Meddour. Tickets are now being sold online.
    “Papicha” by Mounia Meddour (France and Algeria. 2019, 106’) Fiction  
    Plot summary: The film is set in Algeria in the 1990s. Nedjma is a university student who tries to make sure that events during the the civil war which start to take place all around her do not keep her from living a normal life, so she goes out at night with her best friend Wassila and sells the dresses she makes in discotheque bathrooms. As society grows more conservative, she decides to fight for her freedom and independence by organizing a fashion show at the university with her friends. It will challenge all established rules.

    Cast: Lyna Khoudri, Shirine Boutella, Amira Hilda Douaouda, Yasin Houicha.

    Awards and Festivals:  Young Jury Award (FICC48 - Cartagena Film Festival, 2019); Audience Award, Pilar Miró Award for Best New Director (SEMINCI, Valladolid, 2019); Audience Award (Cineuropa33 Film Festival, Santiago de Compostela, 2019); nominated for Best First Film and Best Newcomer Actress (César Awards, 2020); nominated for Best Foreign Film (Oscar Awards, 2020); Cannes Film Festival, “Un certain regard”, 2019.
  • Film: “The Perfect Candidate”

    October 30, 20208:00 p.m.
    CORDOBA
    Casa Árabe Auditorium (at Calle Samuel de los Santos Gener, 9). 8:00 p.m. Free entry until the event’s capacity is reached.
    The decision on whether to hold this activity in person will depend upon the current health situation. Thank you for your patience.
    Films shown in the original language version with subtitles in Spanish.
    Our film series devoted to contemporary Arab women directors now begins in Cordoba, with this film directed by Saudi Arabia’s Haifaa Al Mansour.
    “The Perfect Candidate” by Haifaa Al Mansour (Saudi Arabia. 2019, 101’) Fiction
    Maryam is a young and ambitious doctor who works at the health clinic in a small Saudi Arabian city. Despite her excellent qualifications, she must earn the respect of her male colleagues and the acceptance of her patients on a daily basis. Outraged by the neglect of the Town Council, which puts off paving the road to the hospital time and again, she decides to run for the city’s elections. Her unexpected candidacy for mayor surprises her family and stirs up a community which is unaccustomed to the idea of a woman leading the council.

    Cast: Mila Al Zahrani, Nora Al Awadh, Dae Al Hilali, Khalid Abdulrahim.

    Awards and Festivals: Venice Film Festival, 2019; film nominated for the Independent Spirit Awards, Los Angeles, CA, 2019.
     
  • Film: “For Sama”

    November 06, 20207:30 p.m.
    MADRID
    Casa Árabe Auditorium (at Calle Alcalá, 62). 7:30 p.m. 5 euros: general tickets at the box office.
    4 euros: Tickets purchased online, the officially unemployed, Casa Árabe Language Center students and Youth Card holders, by showing the proper documentation. You may only receive one discount. Advance sales at www.casaarabe.es up to the day of the screening at 12:00 a.m. Those tickets not sold online will be put on sale the day of the screening at the Casa Árabe headquarters as of one hour before each film (cash payment only). Assigned seats with tickets.

    The decision on whether to hold this activity in person will depend upon the current health situation. Thank you for your patience.
    Films shown in the original language version with subtitles in Spanish.
    You can now buy your tickets to see this documentary on the big screen. It is a love letter from a young mother to her daughter filmed by Waad al-Kateab and Edward Watts.
    “For Sama” by Waad al-Kateab and Edward Watts (United Kingdom and Syria. 2019, 103’) Documentary
    A love letter from a young mother to her daughter. The film tells the story of Waad Al-Kateab’s life during five years of war in Aleppo, Syria. Throughout those five years, she falls in love, gets married and gives birth to Sama, as a catastrophic conflict rises up around her. Her camera captures unbelievable stories of loss, laughter and survival, as Waad decides whether or not to flee the city to protect her daughter’s life, when leaving means giving up the fight for freedom for which she has already sacrificed so much.

    Awards and Festivals: Best Film, Best Documentary, Directing and Editing (British Independent Film Awards -BIFA-l, London, 2019); Best Documentary (Cannes Film Festival, 2019); nominated for Best Documentary (European Film Awards, 2019; nominated for Best Documentary (Oscar Awards, 2019); Best Documentary (BAFTA - British Academy of Film and Television, London, 2019); Best Documentary (European Film Awards, 2019); Freedom of Speech Award (NBR-National Board of Review, 2019); nominated for Best Documentary (Satellite Awards, 2019).
  • Film: “Papicha”

    November 06, 20208:00 p.m.
    CORDOBA
    Casa Árabe Auditorium (at Calle Samuel de los Santos Gener, 9). 8:00 p.m. Free entry until the event’s capacity is reached.
    Films shown in the original language version with subtitles in Spanish.
    Like every Friday, Arab cinema will be showed on the movie screen of our Cordoba headquarters. On this occasion, we will get the opportunity to enjoy the Algerian film “Papicha,” directed by Mounia Meddour.
    “Papicha” by Mounia Meddour (France and Algeria. 2019, 106’) Fiction
    The film is set in Algeria in the 1990s. Nedjma is a university student who tries to make sure that events during the the civil war beginning to take place all around her do not prevent her from living a normal life, so she goes out at night with her best friend Wassila and sells the dresses she makes in discotheque bathrooms. As society grows more conservative, she decides to fight for her freedom and independence by organizing a fashion show at the university with her friends. It will challenge all established rules.

    Cast: Lyna Khoudri, Shirine Boutella, Amira Hilda Douaouda, Yasin Houicha.

    Awards and Festivals:  Young Jury Award (FICC48 - Cartagena Film Festival, 2019); Audience Award, Pilar Miró Award for Best New Director (SEMINCI, Valladolid, 2019); Audience Award (Cineuropa33 Film Festival, Santiago de Compostela, 2019); nominated for Best First Film and Best Newcomer Actress (César Awards, 2020); nominated for Best Foreign Film (Oscar Awards, 2020); Cannes Film Festival, “Un certain regard” award, 2019.
  • Film: “Arab Blues” [Un divan à Tunis]

    November 13, 20207:30 p.m.
    MADRID
    Casa Árabe Auditorium (at Calle Alcalá, 62). 7:30 p.m. 5 euros: general tickets at the box office.
    4 euros: Tickets purchased online, the officially unemployed, Casa Árabe Language Center students and Youth Card holders, by showing the proper documentation. You may only receive one discount. Advance sales at www.casaarabe.es up to the day of the screening at 12:00 a.m. Those tickets not sold online will be put on sale the day of the screening at the Casa Árabe headquarters as of one hour before each film (cash payment only). Assigned seats with tickets.

    The decision to hold this activity in person will depend upon the health situation at the time. Thank you for your patience.
    Films shown in the original language version with subtitles in Spanish.
    Our film series dedicated to contemporary Arab women directors continues in Madrid, with this fictional feature film by Manele Labidi Labbé.
    “Arab Blues” (Un divan à Tunis) by Manele Labidi Labbé (France. 2019, 88’) Fiction

    Plot summary: After studying in France for several years, Selma opens her own psychoanalysis practice in a working-class suburb of Tunis, soon after the social and political revolution takes place. Though she has a hard time in the beginning, demand soon starts to surpass her ability to take on work. While she attempts to complete all the bureaucracy required to make her dream come true, Selma is forced to face a past she thought she had left behind.

    Cast: Golshifteh Farahani, Majd Mastoura, Aïcha Ben Miled, Feriel Chamari, Hichem Yacoubi, Najoua Zouhair, Jamel Sassi.

    Awards and Festivals: Official Section of the Valladolid Film Festival -SEMINCI-, 2019; Giornati degli Autori Award (Italy, 2019); London Film Festival, 2019; Toronto International Film Festival -TIFF-, 2019; Miami Film Festival, 2020; Palm Springs International Film Festival (USA, 2020).
  • Film: “For Sama”

    November 13, 20208:00 p.m.
    CORDOBA
    Casa Árabe Auditorium (at Calle Samuel de los Santos Gener, 9). 8:00 p.m. Free entry until the event’s capacity is reached.
    Films shown in the original language version with subtitles in Spanish.
    POSTPONED. A love letter from a young mother to her daughter. That is the premise of “For Sama,” directed by Waad al-Kateab. The time has come for a new film screening at our headquarters in Cordoba
    “For Sama” by Waad al-Kateab and Edward Watts (United Kingdom and Syria. 2019, 103’) Documentary
    A love letter from a young mother to her daughter. The film tells the story of Waad Al-Kateab’s life during five years of war in Aleppo, Syria. Throughout those five years, she falls in love, gets married and gives birth to Sama, as a catastrophic conflict rises up around her. Her camera captures unbelievable stories of loss, laughter and survival, as Waad decides whether or not to flee the city to protect her daughter’s life, when leaving means giving up the fight for freedom for which she has already sacrificed so much.

    Awards and Festivals: Best Film, Best Documentary, Directing and Editing (British Independent Film Awards -BIFA-l, London, 2019); Best Documentary (Cannes Film Festival, 2019); nominated for Best Documentary (European Film Awards, 2019; nominated for Best Documentary (Oscar Awards, 2019); Best Documentary (BAFTA - British Academy of Film and Television, London, 2019); Best Documentary (European Film Awards, 2019); Freedom of Speech Award (NBR-National Board of Review, 2019); nominated for Best Documentary (Satellite Awards, 2019).
  • Film: “Noura’s Dream” 

    Film: “Noura’s Dream” 

    November 20, 20207:30 p.m.
    MADRID
    Casa Árabe Auditorium (at Calle Alcalá, 62). 7:30 p.m. 5 euros: general tickets at the box office.
    4 euros: Tickets purchased online, the officially unemployed, Casa Árabe Language Center students and Youth Card holders, by showing the proper documentation. You may only receive one discount. Advance sales at www.casaarabe.es up to the day of the screening at 12:00 a.m. Those tickets not sold online will be put on sale the day of the screening at the Casa Árabe headquarters as of one hour before each film (cash payment only). Assigned seats with tickets.

    The decision to hold this activity in person will depend upon the health situation at the time. Thank you for your patience.
    Films shown in the original language version with subtitles in Spanish.
    Noura is an independent woman, raising her three children on her own while making a living by working in a hospital laundry room. What is her dream? Find out during our movie screening. Tickets now on sale.
    "Noura’s Dream” [Le rêve de Noura] by Hinde Boujemaa (Tunisia, Belgium, France and Qatar. 2019, 92’). Fiction
    Noura is an independent woman who raises her three children alone and makes a living by working in a hospital laundry room. While her husband Sofiane is in jail, she meets Lassad, the love of her life. Forced to hide their relationship, Noura files for divorce, but a few days before it is granted, the dream of living with her lover is shattered by Sofiane’s imminent release from prison. This is director Hinde Boujemaa’s second feature film.

    Cast: Hend Sabri, Lofti Abdelli, Hakim Boumassoudi, Belhassen Harbaoui, Ikbal Harbaoui and Jamel Sassi.

    Awards and Festivals: Toronto International Film Festival -TIFF- (Canada, 2019); Red Sea IFF International Film Festival (Saudi Arabia, 2020).
  • Film: “Arab Blues” [Un divan à Tunis]

    November 20, 20208:00 p.m.
    CORDOBA
    Casa Árabe Auditorium (at Calle Samuel de los Santos Gener, 9). 8:00 p.m. Free entry until the event’s capacity is reached.
    The decision to hold this activity in person will depend upon the health situation at the time. Thank you for your patience.
    Films shown in the original language version with subtitles in Spanish.
    POSTPONED. For yet another Friday, we look forward to seeing you at Casa Árabe’s cinema, with this fictional feature film directed by Manele Labidi.
    “Arab Blues” [Un divan à Tunis] by Manele Labidi Labbé (France. 2019, 88’) Fiction
    After studying in France for several years, Selma opens her own psychoanalysis practice in a working-class suburb of Tunis, soon after the social and political revolution takes place. Though she has a hard time in the beginning, demand soon starts to surpass her ability to take on work. While she attempts to complete all the bureaucracy required to make her dream come true, Selma is forced to face a past she thought she had left behind.

    Cast: Golshifteh Farahani, Majd Mastoura, Aïcha Ben Miled, Feriel Chamari, Hichem Yacoubi, Najoua Zouhair, Jamel Sassi.

    Awards and Festivals: Official Section of the Valladolid Film Festival -SEMINCI-, 2019; Giornati degli Autori Award (Italy, 2019); London Film Festival, 2019; Toronto International Film Festival -TIFF-, 2019; Miami Film Festival, 2020; Palm Springs International Film Festival (USA, 2020).
  • Film: “Adam”

    Film: “Adam”

    November 27, 20207:30 p.m.
    MADRID
    Casa Árabe Auditorium (at Calle Alcalá, 62). 7:30 p.m. 5 euros: general tickets at the box office.
    4 euros: Tickets purchased online, the officially unemployed, Casa Árabe Language Center students and Youth Card holders, by showing the proper documentation. You may only receive one discount. Advance sales at www.casaarabe.es up to the day of the screening at 12:00 a.m. Those tickets not sold online will be put on sale the day of the screening at the Casa Árabe headquarters as of one hour before each film (cash payment only). Assigned seats with tickets.

    The decision to hold this activity in person will depend upon the health situation at the time. Thank you for your patience.
    Films shown in the original language version with subtitles in Spanish.
    The last screening in Madrid of the film series we have devoted to contemporary Arab women directors throughout the months of October and November. Buy your ticket online now.
    “Adam” by Maryam Touzani (Morocco, France and Belgium. 2019, 98’) Fiction
     In the old medina of Casablanca, Abla, a widow and mother of an eight-year-old girl, runs a small traditional Moroccan bakery. One day, her regular routine is interrupted by the arrival of Samia, a young pregnant woman who knocks on her door looking for work and a roof over her head. The daughter accepts this newcomer from the very outset, but her mother is more reticent about welcoming a stranger into their home. Abla has no idea just how this chance encounter will change their lives.

    Cast: Lubna Azabal, Nisrin Erradi, Douae Belkaouda, Aziz Hattab, Hasnaa Tamtaoui.

    Awards and Festivals: Official Selection in the “Un certain regard” section (Cannes Film Festival, 2019); Official Selection at the Valladolid Film Festival -SEMINCI-, 2019; selected by Morocco to vie for Best Non-English Language Film (Oscar Awards, 2020).
  • Film: “Noura’s Dream”

    November 27, 20208:00 p.m.
    CORDOBA
    Casa Árabe Auditorium (at Calle Samuel de los Santos Gener, 9). 8:00 p.m. Free entry until the event’s capacity is reached.
    The decision to hold this activity in person will depend upon the health situation at the time. Thank you for your patience.
    Films shown in the original language version with subtitles in Spanish.
    POSTPONED. One more week, the best and most recent cinema by contemporary Arab directors comes to our screen in Córdoba. On this occasion, you will be able to learn the story of Noura, an independent woman, who raises her three children alone and works in a hospital laundry. What is her dream?
    “Noura’s Dream” [Le rêve de Noura] by Hinde Boujemaa (Tunisia, Belgium, France and Qatar. 2019, 92’). Fiction
    Noura is an independent woman who raises her three children alone and makes a living by working in a hospital laundry room. While her husband Sofiane is in jail, she meets Lassad, the love of her life. Forced to hide their relationship, Noura files for divorce, but a few days before it is granted, the dream of living with her lover is shattered by Sofiane’s imminent release from prison. This is director Hinde Boujemaa’s second feature film.

    Cast: Hend Sabri, Lofti Abdelli, Hakim Boumassoudi, Belhassen Harbaoui, Ikbal Harbaoui and Jamel Sassi.

    Awards and Festivals: Toronto International Film Festival -TIFF- (Canada, 2019); Red Sea IFF International Film Festival (Saudi Arabia, 2020).
  • Film: “Adam”

    December 04, 20208:00 p.m.
    CORDOBA
    Casa Árabe Auditorium (at Calle Samuel de los Santos Gener, 9). 8:00 p.m. Free entry until the event’s capacity is reached.
    The decision to hold this activity in person will depend upon the health situation at the time. Thank you for your patience.
    Films shown in the original language version with subtitles in Spanish.
    POSTPONED. With this screening, we put an end in Córdoba to this film series that we dedicated to contemporary Arab female directors during the months of October and November.
    “Adam” by Maryam Touzani (Morocco, France and Belgium. 2019, 98’) Fiction
     In the old medina of Casablanca, Abla, a widow and mother of an eight-year-old girl, runs a small traditional Moroccan bakery. One day, her regular routine is interrupted by the arrival of Samia, a young pregnant woman who knocks on her door looking for work and a roof over her head. The daughter accepts this newcomer from the very outset, but her mother is more reticent about welcoming a stranger into their home. Abla has no idea just how this chance encounter will change their lives.

    Cast: Lubna Azabal, Nisrin Erradi, Douae Belkaouda, Aziz Hattab, Hasnaa Tamtaoui.

    Awards and Festivals: Official Selection in the “Un certain regard” section (Cannes Film Festival, 2019); Official Selection at the Valladolid Film Festival -SEMINCI-, 2019; selected by Morocco to vie for Best Non-English Language Film (Oscar Awards, 2020).