Films

Index / Activities / Films / Our film forum activies are back in Cordoba

Our film forum activies are back in Cordoba

Casa Árabe’s second film forum series is returning to Cordoba and will be held from February 16 to March 30. This time around we are showing four fictional films on “The viewpoint of children in Arab cinema.” 

“The viewpoint of children in Arab cinema” is the name we have given to this film series devoted to movies starring children. It will be taking place in person at our headquarters in Cordoba. The post-screening colloquiums will be coordinated by Elena Calvo, a PhD candidate at the University of Cordoba, another of the collaborating entities. This second film series revolves around children and childhood in Arab cinema, in terms of both the main characters in the films and the treatment of childhood as a subject matter. To do so, we have selected a sampling of films from different countries to exemplify the collective imaginary about childhood and its portrayal in cinema.

Through four fictional films, we will be taking a closer look at different stories which show whether there is a common, collective subjectivity surrounding childhood, all from the same point of view. The filmmakers use the vantage point of children to form a dialogue between the world around them and their inner world.

Based on specific cases, this activity is meant to create a space for dialogue and sharing opinions on the basis of film. During the screenings, the film will first be shown, and afterwards in the second part of the session, an interactive activity will be held, leading to the final discussion on the film.

Elena Calvo Polo has a degree in Audiovisual Communication from the Universidad Complutense de Madrid. She completed her Master’s degree in Creative Documentary Film, Experimental Film and Video Creation at the TAI School in Madrid and recently finished a Master’s program in Cinematography at the University of Cordoba. She has also participated in Documenta Madrid and Filmadrid as a Youth Jury member. She is currently carrying out research activity for the PhD program at the University of Cordoba.

Schedule
In this film series on childhood, we have prepared a selection of films from different countries, as we did in our previous film series, including: Lebanon, with Capernaum (Nadine Labaki, 2018); Jordan with Theeb (Naji Abu Nowar, 2014); Saudi Arabia, with Wadja (Haifaa al Mansour, 2012) and, last of all, Egypt, with Yomeddine: Judgment Day (Abu Bakr Shawky, 2018).

  • Film: “Capernaum”

    February 16, 20227:30 p.m.
    CÓRDOBA
    Casa Árabe Auditorium (at Calle Samuel de los Santos y Gener, 9). 7:30 p.m. Free entrance until the event’s capacity is reached.
    Films shown in the original language version with subtitles in Spanish.
    On February 16, the first screening in our film forum series “The viewpoint of children in Arab cinema” will be taking place in Cordoba. Each session will consist of three parts: the screening, an interactive activity and, last of all, a brief discussion.
    Capernaum, by Nadine Labaki (Lebanon, 2018, 126 min., original language version with Spanish subtitles). Drama.
    Zain is a 12-year-old boy who survives the streets by using his ingenuity. Living in a hostile environment and aware that no one cares about his rights, he decides to go to court and sue his parents. When the judge asks him what he is accusing them of, he replies: “of having given me life.”

    Cast: Zain Al Rafeea, Yordanos Shiferaw, Boluwatife Treasure Bankole, Kawthar Al Haddad, Nadine Labaki.

    Awards and festivals: Jury Prize (Cannes Film Festival, 2018), Audience Award (Rotterdam Film Festival, 2019) Nominated for Best Foreign Language Film (Oscar Awards, 2018), Nominated for Best Foreign Language Film (Golden Globes, 2018), as well as others.

    Nadine Labaki
    Born in Lebanon, Labaki graduated with a degree in audiovisual arts from the University of Beirut (IESAV), where she directed her first work, 11 Rue Pasteur (1997), which earned the Best Short Subject Film Award at the Arab Cinema Biennial held by the Institut du Monde Arabe (Paris) in 1998. During her career, she has directed advertisements and music videos, as well. In 2004, she took part in the Résidence de la Cinéfondation at the Cannes Film Festival where she completed her first feature film, Caramel (Lebanon, 2007), which then premiered at the Directors’ Fortnight in 2007. Her second feature film, “Where Do We Go Now? was presented in the “Un Certain Regard” section in 2011. Her latest work Capharnaüm (Capernaum, 2018), received the Jury Prize in Cannes, as well as being nominated for the Golden Globes and the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film. Labaki thus became the first woman from the Arab world ever to be nominated for that award.

  • Film: “Theeb” (Wolf)

    March 02, 20227:30 p.m.
    CÓRDOBA
    Casa Árabe Auditorium (at Calle Samuel de los Santos y Gener, 9). 7:30 p.m. Free entrance until the event’s capacity is reached.
    Films shown in the original language version with subtitles in Spanish.
    On March 2, we are holding the second session in Cordoba of our film forum series titled “The viewpoint of children in Arab cinema”) with this movie by director Naji Abu Nowar.
    Theeb, by Naji Abu Nowar (Jordan, 2014, 100 min., original language version with Spanish subtitles). Adventure. Drama. Thriller.

    The year is 1916. Theeb, which means “wolf” in Arabic, lives in a forgotten corner of the Ottoman Empire alongside his brother Hussein. After their father’s death, one day Hussein must accompany an army officer on his way to a water well on the pilgrimage road to Mecca. Theeb decides to chase after Hussein, thus embarking on a journey through the Arabian desert.

    Cast: Jacir Eid, Hassan Mutlag, Hussein Salameh, Marji Audeh, Jack Fox.

    Awards and festivals: nominated for Best Foreign Language Film (Oscar Awards, 2015), Best Director - Orizzonti (Venice Film Festival, 2014), Best New Director and Best Production (BAFTA Awards, 2016), Official Selection (Toronto, 2014).

    Naji Abu Nowar 
    Born in Oxford, this Jordanian-British director spent his childhood in Jordan, but later returned to England to continue his university studies at King’s College London. His education focused on military affairs, but in 2009 he directed his first short subject film, “Death of a Boxer,” which was presented at the Dubai International Film Festival, as well as others. He eventually filmed “Theeb” (2014), which will be his first feature film thus far. It was selected at several of the best-known festivals, including the Oscar Awards, BAFTA Awards, Toronto and Venice, where he was given the award for Best Director.

  • Film: “Wadjda”

    March 16, 20227:30 p.m.
    CÓRDOBA
    Casa Árabe Auditorium (at Calle Samuel de los Santos y Gener, 9). 7:30 p.m. Free entrance until the event’s capacity is reached.
    Films shown in the original language version with subtitles in Spanish.
    On March 16, we will be hosting another session in our film forum series “The
    viewpoint of children in Arab cinema.” This time around, we are showing the
    fictional feature film by Saudi director Haifaa al Mansour.
    Wadjda, by Haifaa al Mansour (Saudi Arabia, 2012, 93 min, original language version with Spanish subtitles). Drama.
    Wadjda is a ten-year-old girl living in the suburbs of Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia. Although she lives in a conservative world, Wadjda is fun and enterprising, but she is always taking things to the limits between what she is allowed to do and what is forbidden. After a fight with her friend Abdullah, a neighbor boy she’s not supposed to play with, Wadjda sees a beautiful bicycle for sale. She desperately wants the bike so she can beat Abdullah in a race. Wadjda’s mother won’t let her, though, for fear of a society that sees bicycles as dangerous to a girl’s dignity.

    Awards and festivals: Nominated for Best Foreign Language Film (BAFTA Awards, 2013), Winner of Best International Film (Los Angeles Film Festival, 2013), Winner of three awards at the Venice Film Festival (2012), Nominated for Best First Feature Film (Independent Spirit Awards, 2013), in addition to others.

    Haifaa al Mansour
    The first woman film director in Saudi Arabia, she earned her bachelor’s degree in Literature at the American University of Cairo and later completed a Master’s degree in Directing and Film Studies at the University of Sydney. Wadjda was the first film in her career, which also includes three successful short-subject films and the documentary Women Without Shadows, an award-winner in 2005. Her work has influenced a whole set of filmmaking women in her country, leading to debate over some taboo subjects. She later directed Mary Shelley (2017) and The Perfect Candidate (2019).

  • Film: “Yomeddine: Judgment day” 

    March 30, 20227:30 p.m.
    CÓRDOBA
    Casa Árabe Auditorium (at Calle Samuel de los Santos y Gener, 9). 7:30 p.m. Free entry until the auditorium’s capacity is reached.
    Films shown in the original language version with subtitles in Spanish.
    On March 30, our film forum series “The viewpoint of children in Arab cinema” will be ending with this fictional feature film by Egyptian director Abu Bakr Shawky.
    Yomeddine: Judgment Day, by Abu Bakr Shawky (Egypt, 2018, 93 min.). Comedy. Adventure. Drama.

    A leper and his orphaned apprentice leave behind the colony where they live and embark on a journey across Egypt in search of the remaining members of their families.

    Cast: Rady Gamal and Ahmed Abdelhafiz.

    Awards and festivals: Audience Award, Youth Award and Special Jury Mention (Valladolid Festival -SEMINCI, 2018), Special Award (Cannes Film Festival, 2018) and Best Foreign Film (Heartland Film Festival, 2018).

    Abu Bakr Shawky Born in Cairo, he holds Egyptian and Austrian nationalities. He was educated in Political Science and Film in his home town, and later continued his film education at New York University. “The Colony,” “Things I Heard on Wednesdays” and “Martyr Friday” were the three short-subject documentary films he made before directing his first feature film, “Yomeddine” (2018). He also took part in the 2019 collective film “30/30 Vision: 3 decades of strand releasing,” along with directors such as Apichatpong Weerasethaku.