MEDIA RELEASE | 28 October 2009
Arab Film Fest First National Tour
Fresh from its successful season in Parramatta, the Arab Film Festival is hitting
the road for its inaugural national tour to Melbourne, Canberra, Brisbane,
Adelaide. First stop: Dendy Opera Quays in Circular Quay.
Thousands of film-lovers packed the Riverside Theatre for a fantastic program
of award-winning Arab films in July. Now our special screening in the heart of
Sydney will launch the national tour on Sunday 1 November with Ibrahim El-
Batout’s acclaimed film, Eye of the Sun.
The festival showcases the diversity and complexity of Arab film culture, and
acts as a counterpoint to mainstream screen depictions of Arab communities.
“After every festival we get requests around Australia from people who want to
see the films we present in Sydney. So we are very excited about the tour, and
particularly about our first city screening.” says Festival Co-Director Fadia
Abboud.
“The Arab community is massive and diverse, both in Australia and overseas,”
says Mouna Zaylah, also a Co-Director of the festival, “and so are these stories
and the Arab people’s experiences.”
Eye of the Sun is an Egyptian film that follows the story of Shams, an inquisitive
11-year-old who dreams of travelling to downtown Cairo, against the wishes of
her teacher and father, a beleaguered taxi driver. This poignant tale is
beautifully shot and took out the Golden Hawk award at Rotterdam film festival
and the Top Prize at the Taormina Film Festival.
After the Sydney opening, audience picks from the Parramatta season will be
screened in Melbourne, Canberra, Brisbane and Adelaide. Highlights of the tour
program include Captain Abu Raed, the first Jordanian feature to be screened
in Australia and winner of the 2008 Audience Award at Sundance, and Beirut
Open City, a sexy thriller set at the height of the Syrian presence in Lebanon.
1 November – Dendy Opera Quays – Sydney
5-7 November – ACMI – Melbourne
13-14 November – National Film and Sound Archive – Canberra
20-22 November – Dendy Portside – Brisbane
28-29 November – Mercury Cinema – Adelaide
MEDIA ENQUIRIES:
Contact Mouna Zaylah on 02 9897 5744 / 0404 922 648 or email
mouna.zaylah@ice.org.au
ICE receives core funding through Arts NSW and the Australia Council for the Arts.
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