“Afternoon Summer Movie Club” at the CAC
Watch movie, serve tea/coffee & dessert, discussion to follow!
Join us for a compelling film featuring the Middle East.
Listings and dates below. Free and open to the public. $5 suggested donation.
All films will be screened at CAC, 191 Highland Avenue, 6B, Somerville, MA
The Syrian Bride
Saturday Jun 14, 2014 @ 5.30 pm
The film will be followed by a discussion lead by Dr. Wael Kamal, Egyptian film-making professor and Founding Director of the Digital Media Program at UMass Lowell.
In Majdal Shams, the largest Druze village in Golan Heights on the Israeli-Syrian border, the Druze bride Mona is engaged to get married with Tallel, a television comedian that works in the Revolution Studios in Damascus, Syria. They have never met each other because of the occupation of the area by Israel since 1967; when Mona moves to Syria, she will lose her undefined nationality and will never be allowed to return home. Mona’s father Hammed is a political activist pro-Syria that is on probation by the Israeli government. His older son Hatten married a Russian woman eight years ago and was banished from Majdal Shams by the religious leaders and his father. His brother Marwan is a wolf trader that lives in Italy. His sister Amal has two teenager daughters and has the intention to join the university, but her marriage with Amin is in crisis. When the family gathers for Mona’s wedding, an insane bureaucracy jeopardizes the ceremony.
WADJDA
Saturday Jun 28 @5.30 pm
Saudi Arabian–German film, written and directed by Haifaa al-Mansour. It is the first feature film shot entirely in Saudi Arabia and is the first feature-length film made by a female Saudi director. It has won numerous awards at film festivals around the world. The film was selected as the Saudi Arabian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 86th Academy Awards but it was not nominated. It was the first time Saudi Arabia submitted a film for the Best Foreign Language Oscar
An enterprising Saudi girl signs on for her school’s Koran recitation competition as a way to raise the remaining funds she needs in order to buy the green bicycle that has captured her interest.
Director: Haifaa Al-Mansour (as Haifaa Al Mansour)
Writer: Haifaa Al-Mansour