Cannes Film Review: “The Unknown Saint”
A droll, entertaining, absurdist fable about spirituality and greed. Beautifully shot and ideally cast, debuting Moroccan writer-director Alaa Eddine Aljem’s “The Unknown Saint” is a droll, entertaining, absurdist fable about spirituality and greed that signals an important new talent. The events unfold near a derelict desert village, where, in a pre-title prologue, a thief buries […]
Why a large proportion of the Arab world’s best filmmakers are women
In the US, only about 5 per cent of directors are women and 12 per cent in Europe. In Palestine and Lebanon, that figure is about 50 percent. Five of the Arab world’s best filmmakers – Annemarie Jacir, Mai Masri, Hala Khalil, Kaouther Ben Hania, and Sofia Djama – appeared on a panel at the […]
Palestinian Annemarie Jacir’s ‘Wajib’ Wins Big at Dubai Festival
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The 14th Dubai Int’l Film Festival handed out prizes Dec. 13 at an afternoon awards ceremony preceding the evening gala premiere of “Star Wars: The Last Jedi.” The Muhr feature jury, headed by prominent German actress Martina Gedeck, gave the best fiction feature nod to the poignant Palestinian father-son drama “Wajib,” helmed […]
Félicité will premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival .
Alain Gomis’ new film “Félicité” follows the eponymous character, a proud singer living in the Congo city of Kinshasa, who leaves the world behind every time she sets foot on a bar stage. But one day Félicité’s son is involved in a terrible motorcycle accident, and she’s forced to traverse the impoverished streets and the […]