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Arabs in America
From September 17, 2010 until October 29, 2010
A four film season (two fictional and two documentary films) will show Arab presence in the American continent.
Through the seventh art, this
season offers a great range of views on the Arab immigration phenomenon
in America, from the Arab pioneers who settled in the Amazonian region
in Brazil at the end of the 19th century to the recent immigration
towards the United States.
This cinema season is part of the program "Árabes do Brasil", organised by Casa Árabe from 4 to 8th October, included in the Casa América's Festival VivAmérica.
Amreeka (Amreeka), by Cherien Dabis (United States, Canada and Kuwait, 2009, 96 min.).
Knowing that it is the only way to get a better future, Muna and her teenage son Fadi leave Palestine seeking a new life in a small city in Illinois. Muna's sister, her husband and three of their daughters settle the guests at home, where Muna and Fadi will have to strive to fit into the new culture without losing their own, facing an environment which, after Iraq's invasion, is looking at the Middle East with suspicion.
May your eyes be blessed (Que teus olhos sejam atendidos), by Luiz Fernando Carvalho (Brazil, 1998, 104 min.).
The film is the outcome of a director's trip to Lebanon's interior searching for the Arab tradition told in the book Lavoura Arcaica, by Raduan Nassar. This documentary film portrays the simple way of living in the Lebanon mountains and their ancient traditions, which are echoed in more than eight million Brazilians with Arab ancestry.
To the Left of the Father, by Luiz Fernando Carvalho (Brazil, 2001, 171 min.).
With a marked novelistic air, the film tells the story of a Lebanese immigrant family in the rural Brazil of the 40s. The family is ruled by an authoritarian, religious and conservative father. And as it always happens, some question the order in force. Nevertheless, the conflicts arisen do not seem to have an easy ending.
How Hollywood Vilifies a People, by Jeremy Earp (USA, 2006, 50 min.).
Based on the homonym book by Jack Shaheen, this modernist documentary film dissects an aspect of the cinematographic history which has been seldom questioned since the silent movies to the present greatest blockbusters. Starred by Shaheen himself, the film goes over a long list of Arab-degrading images and offers a deep analysis on the origin of these stereotypes.
Friday 1st and Monday 18th October: Amreeka
Monday 4th and Friday 22th October: May your eyes be blessed
Friday 9th and Monday 25th October: To the Left of the Father
Friday 15th and Friday 29th October: How Hollywood Vilifies a People
At Casa Árabe's Auditorium in Madrid (c/ Alcalá, 62).
Time: 19.30. Original version with Spanish subtitles. Free admission prior to ticket collection from 19.00 on.
This cinema season is part of the program "Árabes do Brasil", organised by Casa Árabe from 4 to 8th October, included in the Casa América's Festival VivAmérica.
FILMS
Amreeka (Amreeka), by Cherien Dabis (United States, Canada and Kuwait, 2009, 96 min.). Knowing that it is the only way to get a better future, Muna and her teenage son Fadi leave Palestine seeking a new life in a small city in Illinois. Muna's sister, her husband and three of their daughters settle the guests at home, where Muna and Fadi will have to strive to fit into the new culture without losing their own, facing an environment which, after Iraq's invasion, is looking at the Middle East with suspicion.
May your eyes be blessed (Que teus olhos sejam atendidos), by Luiz Fernando Carvalho (Brazil, 1998, 104 min.).
The film is the outcome of a director's trip to Lebanon's interior searching for the Arab tradition told in the book Lavoura Arcaica, by Raduan Nassar. This documentary film portrays the simple way of living in the Lebanon mountains and their ancient traditions, which are echoed in more than eight million Brazilians with Arab ancestry.
To the Left of the Father, by Luiz Fernando Carvalho (Brazil, 2001, 171 min.). With a marked novelistic air, the film tells the story of a Lebanese immigrant family in the rural Brazil of the 40s. The family is ruled by an authoritarian, religious and conservative father. And as it always happens, some question the order in force. Nevertheless, the conflicts arisen do not seem to have an easy ending.
How Hollywood Vilifies a People, by Jeremy Earp (USA, 2006, 50 min.).
Based on the homonym book by Jack Shaheen, this modernist documentary film dissects an aspect of the cinematographic history which has been seldom questioned since the silent movies to the present greatest blockbusters. Starred by Shaheen himself, the film goes over a long list of Arab-degrading images and offers a deep analysis on the origin of these stereotypes.
CALENDAR
Friday 1st and Monday 18th October: Amreeka
Monday 4th and Friday 22th October: May your eyes be blessed
Friday 9th and Monday 25th October: To the Left of the Father
Friday 15th and Friday 29th October: How Hollywood Vilifies a People
At Casa Árabe's Auditorium in Madrid (c/ Alcalá, 62).
Time: 19.30. Original version with Spanish subtitles. Free admission prior to ticket collection from 19.00 on.
