38 FILMS & DVDS FROM AND ABOUT THE AND MIDDLE EAST NORTH AFRICA

Tahrir: Liberation Square A Film by Stefano Savona

“Soon after the first reports came about the US Premiere, occupation of Tahrir Square, filmmaker 2011 New York Film Festival Stefano Savona headed for Cairo, where he stayed, Official Selection, amidst the ever-growing masses in the Square, for 2012 Santa Barbara Film Festival weeks. His film introduces us to young Egyptians Grand Prize, 2011 Traces de vies such as Elsayed, Noha and Ahmed, spending all day Documentary Film Festival (France) and night talking, shouting, singing, finally express- 90 min | color | 2011 ing everything they were forbidden to say out loud Sale/DVD (Chaptered): $398 now $348 until now. “As the protests grow in intensity, the regime’s repres- sion becomes more violent, with the terrifying poten- tial for massacre never far away. TAHRIR is a film written in the faces, hands, and voices of those who experienced this period in the Square. It is a day-to- day account of the Egyptian revolution, capturing the anger, fear, resolve and finally elation of those who made it happen.” (New York Film Festival description) More films on Egypt For Those Who Sail to Heaven Naguib Mahfouz: A Film by Elizabeth Wickett The Passage of the Century Captures the Sufi rites of the annual Opet A Film by Francka Mouloudi Festival in Egypt. A portrait of Egyptian “Wickett has carefully portrayed the intertwining author Naguib of ancient and modern so important in Egyptian Mahfouz, the first life but often missing in Western portrayals of and still only Arab Egypt. We have the voices of the local participants winner of the Nobel as well as the voice of producer Wickett who Prize for Literature. narrates the film and provides a scholar’s analysis. “[Mahfouz] is not The result is a rich film with many levels of mean- only a Hugo and a ing.”—Middle East Studies Association Bulletin Dickens, but also a Galsworthy, a Mann, a Zola and a Jules Romains.” 48 min | color | 1990 | Sale/DVD: $298 —Edward Said, London Review of Books Living with the Past 2005 Middle East & Central Asia Politics, Directed by Maysoon Pachachi Economics and Society Conference Produced by Elizabeth Fernea 2002 African Literature Association Cairo is one of the few medieval cities in Film Festival the world that remains relatively intact. Goodbye Mubarak! This a portrait of Darb al-Ahmar, a neigh- 49 min | color | 1999 | Sale/DVD: $348 A Film by Katia Jarjoura borhood in the old city now facing a process of radical change. A Veiled Revolution The ground for the protests that would overthrow Directed by Marilyn Gaunt Hosni Mubarak on February 11, 2011, had been “LIVING WITH THE PAST documents ongoing Produced by Elizabeth Fernea laid in the months preceding the mass outpouring restoration efforts in [Cairo’s historic district of] of opposition. GOODBYE MUBARAK! takes us Darb al-Ahmar ... and does an excellent job of to Egypt during that time, in the run-up to conveying the neighborhood’s spirit and the legislative elections. We discover a revolution-in- dedication of those involved in the restora- waiting, already simmering under the surface of tion.”—Archaeology Magazine Egyptian society. 2003 Royal Anthropological Institute Film Festival (UK) Over several weeks the documentary crew travels the country from Cairo to Alexandria to the 2002 American Anthropological “The emphasis here is on the months industrial city of El-Mahalia El-Kubra, introducing Association Film Festival preceding the demonstrations that led us to ordinary Egyptians, politicians, members of 56 min | color | 2001 | Sale/DVD: $390 to [Mubarak’s] forced resignation, The first film to consider the possible the Muslim Brotherhood and secular activists— during which Jarjoura and her crew reasons for modern Egyptian women’s many of whom would soon be leading the anti- The Price of Change traveled about the country, observing turn back to tradition—the resurgence of Mubarak rebellion. Directed by Marilyn Gaunt candidates of various political stripes... Produced by Elizabeth Fernea Islamic fundamentalism, the rejection of While the young, web-savvy activists get much of who were campaigning for election to Examines the effect of non-domestic work western values—as Egyptian women the credit for the demonstrations, GOODBYE parliament against entrenched on five Egyptian women. A picture of speak out. An important document that MUBARAK! shows just how deep opposition to the supporters of the regime, many of changing attitudes toward work, family, helps place current developments in regime ran among the population. “We only have them wealthy businessmen who sex, and the woman’s place in society. context. corrupt and old leaders with nothing to offer” says profited handsomely from the govern- 26 min | color | 1982 | Sale/DVD: $248 “Provides glimpses into the lives of a variety of one angry pensioner. Another adds, “the solution is ment’s economic policies. ...[a] snap- contemporary Egyptian women... [and] sets their in the hands of our 12 million jobless kids. They shot portrait of a contemporary difficulties in the context of changes that pose need to go out, demonstrate, and overthrow the revolution.”—Video Librarian problems for the entire nation.” regime.” Within weeks, Mubarak’s opponents would 72 min | color | 2011 —Psychology of Women Quarterly be doing just that. GOODBYE MUBARAK! is an Sale/DVD (Chaptered): $348 now $298 26 min | color | 1982 | Sale/DVD: $248 invaluable portrait of Egypt on the brink of history. 2 ICARUS FILMS SEE PAGE 31 FOR ORDERING INFORMATION 3 Neither Allah, Nor Master! Tunisia, Year Zero A Film by Nadia El Fani A Film by Feriel Ben Mahmoud

“Fascinating! Useful for understanding August, 2010. Tunisia is in the midst of Ramadan, On January 14th, 2011, after months of mass the Arab Spring.” —Le Monde under Zine El Abidine Ben Ali’s regime. Despite protests, the people of Tunisia toppled the the weight of censorship, Nadia El Fani films a “Instructive and constructive!” government of Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, launching —Premiere country that seems open to the principle of free- the Arab Spring. dom of conscience and liberal in its relationship to 2011 Film Festival, Islam. After all, officially, Tunisia is not an Islamic TUNISIA, YEAR ZERO records the turbulent Middle East Studies Association nation. Indeed, in an archival interview, President day-to-day events that followed. Over a nine- Official Selection, 2012 Habib Bourguiba, who ruled the country for 30 month period Tunisians drafted a new constitu- Minneapolis-St. Paul Film Festival years, affirms equal rights for Jews and Christians. tion, saw the creation of more than 110 political 2011 International Documentary parties, and embarked upon the first free elections Three months later, the Tunisian Revolution Film Festival Amsterdam in the country’s history. breaks out. El Fani is out in the field. The Arab 71 min | color | 2011 world has entered an era of radical change. Tunisia, The film tracks the social and political turmoil of Sale/DVD (Chaptered): $348 which initiated the wind of revolt, is once again a this period, as Tunisians grapple with choosing the “laboratory country” for its outlook on religion kind of society in which they wish to live. As and democracy. Islam, secularism, and the status of women become themes of the campaign, several major But El Fani also sees troubling signs that Tunisia parties emerge, broadly divided between modern- may be becoming less tolerant of non-Islamic ist parties, and the previously banned Islamist beliefs. An avowed atheist and feminist, Nadia party, Ennahda. 52 min | color | 2011 takes a provocative approach to the upheaval, Sale/DVD (Chaptered): $298 while introducing us to Tunisians, including many Eventually Ennahda emerges as the strongest, and women, to explore just how high the stakes may one of its leaders, Hamadi Jebali, becomes prime be. Could, by the will of the people, a Muslim minister. With its intimate look at the run-up to their country really opt for a secular constitution? And victory, TUNISIA, YEAR ZERO helps us understand what if it does not? the contours of the political landscape and the continuing debates in Tunisia over its future.

4 IcarusFilms.com CALL TOLL FREE: 800 876 1710 5 The Moroccan Labyrinth A Film by Julio Sánchez Veiga

“With its astute selection of interviews In 1898, after losing Cuba, Puerto Rico and the and contemporary film clips, Julio Philippines to the U.S., Spain focused its colonial Sánchez Vega’s film brings to the aims on Morocco, establishing a Spanish screen a fascinating but oft-overlooked Protectorate in 1912. But Spanish attempts to conquer slice of modern colonial and military the territory were resisted by the guerrilla forces of history.”—Geoffrey Jensen, Rif leader Abd el-Krim. Thousands of Spanish The Journal of Military History soldiers died—including 15,000 during a two-week 2009 Vancouver period in 1921 known as the Defeat of Annual—and Film Festival the Spanish Army responded with aerial bombings, chemical weapons and widespread atrocities. 2008 Marbella Film Festival THE MOROCCAN LABYRINTH examines how 90 min | color | 2007 this colonial conflict served as prologue to the Sale/DVD (Chaptered): $398 Spanish Civil War, with losses in Morocco under- mining the monarchy and emboldening the “African militarists,” including generals such as Francisco Franco, who in 1936 launched a revolt against the Spanish Republic. Ironically, in order to escape famine and poverty, thousands of Moroccans enlisted in the Falangist movement and found themselves fighting for their former enemies in Spain against Republican forces. Mustapha Kemal Atatůrk A Film by Severine Labat The film features rare archive footage, propaganda films of the era, interviews with elderly Moroccan Through archival material and discussions with “Intricate and meticulously assem- combatants, their children and leading interna- historians, sociologists and biographers, MUSTAPHA bled... This outstanding work is highly tional historians, who discuss the Rif War, how the KEMAL ATATŮRK tells the story of the founder recommended to those who want an conflict influenced developments in Spain, how and first president of the Republic of Turkey. advanced and comprehensive record Moroccan mercenaries were used during the Civil of Turkey in the early 20th century.” War and then, despite promises, were expelled While Atatürk played a major role in modernizing —Michael J. Coffta, Educational Media from Spain after the Nationalist victory. THE the nation, his “democracy” was founded on Reviews Online MOROCCAN LABYRINTH plumbs the complexi- single-party rule and a cult-of-personality leader 52 min | color-b&w | 2008 ties of this little-known colonial war. who engendered as much fear as respect. Sale/DVD (Chaptered): $390 The rapid transformation of Turkey into the first secular Muslim republic, attempting to blend Western and Eastern influences, upset much of the country’s population and laid the basis for tensions still at the center of Turkey’s social and political life today. As Turkey’s democratic government takes on an increasingly Islamic character, the military staunchly defends the secular basis of the regime. In its contemporary political tensions—Muslim vs. secular, religious vs. political—Turkey more than ever reflects not only its unique geopolitical posi- tion on the world map, but also the mixed legacy of it’s national hero. 6 ICARUS FILMS SEE PAGE 31 FOR ORDERING INFORMATION 7 Syria, Chess Match at the Borders Syria: The Assads’ Twilight A Film by Amal Hamelin des Essarts A Film by Vincent de Cointet & Christophe Ayad

Syria, bordered by Turkey, Iraq, Lebanon, Israel, During the 1970s, Hafez al-Assad turned Syria into and Jordan, is both a strategic and a besieged one of the world’s most secretive and repressive country. SYRIA: CHESS MATCH AT THE dictatorships. His son and successor, Bashar BORDERS chronicles the historical background al-Assad, was supposed to be different. A doctor and ramifications of this situation. who had lived in London, he vowed to fight The history includes the legacy of three Arab- corruption and embrace globalization. Israeli wars, which led to an influx of Palestinian Just over a decade later, the Assad regime has been refugees, Israel’s occupation of the Golan Heights, responsible for the deaths of thousands of its citi- and the enmity of successive U.S. Administrations. zens—protesters no longer willing to accept With Turkey, Syria has had long-running disputes repression and insisting on the same freedoms that over water resources and support of Kurdish “An excellent geopolitical lesson... other nations have gained through the revolutions rebels. And in Lebanon, Syria has acted as a self- this efficient educational documentary of the 2011 Arab Spring. styled “protector,” deploying troops and its secret “Highly Recommended… This film will provides indispensable keys.” service to try to maintain control of that nation. SYRIA: THE ASSADS’ TWILIGHT is a lively docu- not disappoint the viewer seeking to —Télérama The border with Iraq is not trouble-free either: Iraqi mentary that recounts the history of the regime and be enlightened about the recent 52 min | color /2008 refugees flocked into Syria, and the country has the region—including the tortured and troubled history of Syria and the influence of Sale/DVD (Chaptered): $390 now $348 colluded with Iran to finance and arm Iraqi resis- history of Syrian involvement in Lebanon. The film Syria on the rest of the world.” tance forces. uses archival footage, as well as the testimony and — Educational Media Reviews Online analysis of key foreign policy and security figures Visually enriched with archival footage and 52 min | color | 2011 from the Middle East, France and the U.S., dissi- Sale/DVD (Chaptered): $348 contemporary scenes, the film features an dents (among them members of the banned Muslim impressive array of political leaders, journalists, Brotherhood), and political scientists. diplomats, and academics, as it examines the geo- politics of Syria, at the nexus of the region. What emerges is a picture of a regime that has been at the center of Middle East politics for two genera- tions—but is now on the verge of being swept away.

8 IcarusFilms.com CALL TOLL FREE: 800 876 1710 9 Democracy on Deadline A Film by Calvin Skaggs

“A bracing reminder of why journalism Filmed across Africa, Asia, Central America, Europe, matters—and the sometimes harrow- the Middle East, and the U.S., DEMOCRACY ON ing consequences of practicing jour- DEADLINE is a comprehensive look at journalists nalism that matters.” worldwide as they attempt to speak truth to power. —Editor and Publisher Journal For example in Moscow journalists (including 114 min | color | 2006 | Anna Politkovskaya, assassinated in 2006) discuss Sale/DVD (Chaptered): $398 now $348 government control of the media and the dangers of covering the Chechen War; the publisher, editors and journalists at the Israeli newspaper Haaretz explain why they feel it is important, especially for a readership often concerned only with its own agony, to document the violence directed against Palestinians; and U.S. journalists discuss how the The Battle for the Arab Viewer A Film by Nordin Lasfar press failed in its reporting of the Bush Administration during the lead-up to the Iraq War. The rivalry between Al Jazeera and As journalism is steadily eroded by political Al Arabiya, the main satellite news channels manipulation, commercial constraints, circulation in the Arab world, is not only about ratings but and ratings pressures, DEMOCRACY ON also about the political interests of their owners. DEADLINE is a reminder of the value of an inde- Al Jazeera, created by the Emir of Qatar, more pendent news media in any democratic society. populist, and the causes that it champions, such as the Egyptian uprising against Hosmi Mubarak are Al Jazeera not always supported by the Saudi regime. While A Film by Tewfik Hakem Al Arabiya, owned by a close friend of the Saudi ruling family, seems to oppose popular groups, Viewer’s Choice, 2003 AL JAZEERA goes behind the scenes at the Arab even the Muslim Brotherhood. Middle East Studies Association world’s first 24-hour news channel, exploring the THE BATTLE FOR THE ARAB VIEWER examines FilmFest paradoxes that emerge between the apparent the competition between the stations, focusing on 52 min | color | 2002 orthodoxy of Arab societies, and the journalistic their Cairo correspondents—Al Arabiya’s Randa Sale/DVD: $348 now $298 freedom flaunted by the network. Al Jazeera’s Abul Azm and Al Jazeera’s Abdelfattah Fayed. We go philosophy of open debate is not easily embraced behind the scenes as they follow stories and report by what program host Fayçal Al-Quassam, calls “a on events, such as Hosni Mubarak’s trial. (Azm is dictatorial, single-party culture which does not allowed into the courtroom, but Fayed is not.) know the meaning of dialog.” Both deny that their work is influenced by the Combining news footage, excepts from various Al agendas of their networks’ owners. But former Jazeera programs, and interviews with executives, employees tell a different story. One case is that of anchors, and journalists, AL JAZEERA is a look at Hafez al Mirazi, who was taken off Al Arabiya the challenges facing the most important television after promising to put Saudi Arabia itself under channel in the Arab world. the microscope on his show. Media bias is not new—as Mirazi says, viewers of Fox News and MSNBC know what they’re going to get. What is different in the Arab world is that the networks owe their allegiances to states. Which 48 min | color | 2011 Sale/DVD (Chaptered): $375 raises the question, as democracy spreads through the region, will truly independent media follow? 10 ICARUS FILMS SEE PAGE 31 FOR ORDERING INFORMATION 11

A Road to Mecca: The Journey of Muhammad Asad The Koran: Back to the Origins of the Book A Film by Georg Misch A Film by Bruno Ulmer

“An inquisitive journey... The spectator In the early 1920s, Viennese Jew Leopold Weiss This enlightening documentary explores the is taken on a beautifully uncertain (1900-1992) traveled to the Middle East, visiting origins of the Koran. According to Muslim tradi- journey.”—Catalin Brylla, University of Jerusalem, Egypt, the Transjordan and Saudi tion, this holy text has remained static and Newport, Leonardo Reviews Arabia. After studying the Koran, he converted to unchanged since it was revealed to the prophet 2009 Dubai Islam and changed his name to Muhammad Asad. Muhammad in Mecca and Medina, between 610 and 632 CE. However, recent discoveries of the Film Festival Asad became one of the most important Muslims oldest extant Koranic manuscripts, dating from 2009 Jerusalem of the 20th century, spreading a message of peace around 680, hint at a more complicated history. Film Festival and brotherhood through books such as Islam at the Jury Award, 2008 FIDADOC Crossroads, The Principles of State and Government in Many scholars now believe that during the first Film Festival (Morocco) Islam, and his autobiography, The Road to Mecca. He century of Islam, different concurrent versions of ★★★“Essential viewing for Islamic 92 min | color | 2008 went on to act as an advisor to the royal court of the Koran existed—with a number of different scholars, this is likely to also be of Sale/DVD (Chaptered): $398 Saudi Arabia, was a co-founder of Pakistan and readings possible. interest to devout Muslims. served as the country’s Ambassador to the UN. Recommended.” —Video Librarian In THE KORAN: BACK TO THE ORIGINS OF THE A ROAD TO MECCA blends archival footage with BOOK, European scientists and Islamic scholars “Bruno Ulmer treats a highly controver- contemporary interviews with writers, historians, struggle with tracing the history of the Koran. sial topic with sensitivity, striving for scholars, and Asad’s friends and associates, reveal- From the Mosque of Kairouan in Tunisia to that of understanding, as opposed to judg- ing his legacy as a modern theological thinker. the Umayyads in Damascus and Al- Azhar in ment... with heavy attention given to Cairo, the film takes us on a fascinating journey artistic imagery, the documentary Muhammad Asad sought to be a mediator between into the heart of the origins of the book and the makes a noteworthy contribution to East and West. In portraying his life and the evolu- world of late antiquity—and into a region where the study of Islamic history.” tion of his thought, this documentary provides a Muslim tradition and scientific research converge. —Al Jadid, A Review & Record of Arab portrait of contemporary Islam. It challenges deeply Culture and Arts rooted Western prejudices by revealing the distance 52 min | color | 2009 between the beliefs that support terrorism and the Sale/DVD (Chaptered): $348 core beliefs of a profoundly humane religion. 12 IcarusFilms.com CALL TOLL FREE: 800 876 1710 13 Islam Unknown An eight-part series by Fons Elders

ISLAM UNKNOWN is a collection of eight half-hour conversations with uncon- Part 7: Germany’s first Muslim theology professor, ventional Muslim intellectuals. In each episode, eclectic Dutch philosopher Fons Turkish-born Ömer Özsoy emphasizes interpret- Elders engages the thinkers on topics including gender, economics, sharia, secularism, ing the Qur’an in the context of time and place. colonialism, and the nature of religious authority. On that basis he argues that one of the divisive symbols of Islam—the headscarf—is not mandated Part 1: Asma Barlas argues for “radical sexual by the Qur’an. Yet Muslim women should be free equality”—based on a reading of the Qur’an. to wear it as they see fit. To him it is not a question She says the Qur’an, like other texts, is open to of religion, but simply one of human rights. multiple readings and that the fundamental Part 8: Mehmet Asutay has devoted himself to Muslim concept of the oneness of God tran- developing a model for an Islamic economy that scends gender. emphasizes social justice. Asutay believes the Part 2: Egyptian Nasr Hamed Abu Zayd was economic crisis was caused by the disconnection forced into exile on a charge of apostasy in the between finance and the real world. What Asutay 1980s. He sees Islam as a religion rooted in social hopes for instead is a moral economy—one that justice, and says colonial attitudes towards Islam offers equal access to resources and that recog- have trapped both Christians and Muslims into nizes that humans are equal in their relationship false perceptions of each other. to God.

Part 3: Abdullahi Ahmed An-Na’im is a law Elders’ hope is that the conversations will contribute to a new understanding of the diver- professor at Emory University—and a Sufi dedi- sity of Islam, and to a decrease in “Islamophobia.” For what emerges from this series is a cated both to Islam and to secularism. For him nuanced mosaic of contemporary perspectives on one of the world’s great religions. the notion of an Islamic state is heretical, and

secularism the only way to guarantee believers 8 x 26’ | color | 2011 the freedom to pursue their beliefs and practices. Sale/DVDs (two): $398

Part 4: The first woman in her family to attend university, Egyptian Amna Nusayr has written more than 40 books, many on Qur’anic themes. Nusayr focuses the conversation primarily on a discussion of sharia and jihad—two notions that she says have been misrepresented.

Part 5: In a wide-ranging conversation about politics, society and culture, Reza Aslan says that young Muslims are better off in the U.S. than in Europe, and that American Muslims are less likely to be seduced by fundamentalist rhetoric, because of the nature of American identity.

Part 6: Anouar Majid is a believer in the power of heresy. He looks at how Europe and Islam have defined themselves in opposition to each other, and argues for a new relationship—one based on cultures that encourage a multiplicity of points of view.

14 ICARUS FILMS SEE PAGE 31 FOR ORDERING INFORMATION 15 More films on Iran Energy War Shirin Ebadi: A Simple Lawyer A Film by Shuchen Tan, Ijsbrand van Veelen & A Film by Bani Khoshnoudi Rudi Boon An in-depth A global investigation into the geopolitical introduction dynamics of the world’s oil supply. How are to Nobel Peace the governments that control most of the oil Prize winner wielding their power on the world stage? in the Tehran “Alerts viewers to a critical issue... recommended office, inter- for public and academic libraries.” woven with —David Conn, Library Journal speeches at international conferences and a 78 min | color | 2007| Sale/DVD (Chaptered): $390 visit to the children’s center she founded. “Highly Recommended!” Inside Out —Educational Media Reviews Online A Film by Zohreh Shayesteh 2006 National Women’s Studies Transsexuals in Iran. Intimate conversations Association Film Festival with doctors, religious authorities, and transsexuals about the mind/body conflict, 2005 Middle East Studies Association FilmFest Islamic interpretations, and the impact of Fragments of a Revolution 48 min | color | 2004| Sale/DVD (Chaptered): $348 Directed by Anonymous sex-change treatments on their lives. Produced by Virginie Guibbaud & Gilles Padovani “Will amaze and delight! A warm and personal Zinat, One Special Day portrait. [It] flies in the face of stereotypical views A Film by Ebrahim Mokhtari FRAGMENTS OF A REVOLUTION goes beyond of Iranian religious and social attitudes and will the headlines and the tweets to tell the story of the serve to humanize Iranian society for many protests that swept Iran in the aftermath of the Western viewers. Fascinating!” disputed 2009 presidential election. —Professor William O. Beeman, Brown University, Author of The Great Satan vs. The Mad Mullahs Directed by an anonymous Iranian living in exile, the film brings together clandestinely sent emails, 39 min | color | 2006| Sale/DVD (Chaptered): $298 online videos and footage shot by protesters in the midst of demonstrations. Iran: A Cinematographic Revolution A Film by Nader Takmil Homayoun This highly unconventional documentary—which “Tears and feelings emerge from the The intertwined history of Iran and its largely relies on anonymous correspondents and film and attach to us as we become part of this very secret and intimate process. cinema, from the first silent films to the Zinat, the first woman from the Island of YouTube footage—has an astounding immediacy. We come to know [the protestors’] fear talkies, from the Shah’s regime to the Qeshm in the south of Iran to remove the We alternate between events in Tehran and the of being caught, arrested, tortured and Islamic revolution, and the international traditional face mask (Boregheh), is anonymous director’s attempts to make sense of potentially becoming one of the many cinematic success of today. running for elected office. them, until the two storylines converge in early 2010. “disappeared.”… this film is bound to “Remarkable... Drawing upon a wide catalogue “Celebrates the empowerment of women, not As the protest movement grows, we are privy to be relevant for years to come” of films and newsreel footage, the documentary abstractly, but in direct life situations, without the immediate experiences of those on the ground: —Educational Media Reviews Online offers an insight into the two revolutions-politi- sentimentality or manipulation of scenes or women picking up rocks to hand to protesters; 2011 Best Documentary on cal and artistic-and their joint battle to produce, dialogue.”—Al Jadid - A Review & Record of Arab people secretly filming police as they beat people, Democracy, DOK Leipzig and consequently control, the national imago.” Culture and Arts smash cars and target those in windows who are —Lindsey Hair, Film & History looking on; marchers coming under fire from 2011 Louis Marcorelles Prize & 2005 National Women’s Studies Special Mention Young Jury Prize, 2011 United Nations Association rooftop snipers. Association Film Festival Cinema Du Reel Festival (Paris) Film Festival Special Mention of the International Jury, Finally, the protests die down, and the forced 57 min | color | 2011 2008 American Historical Association 2000 Cinéma du Réel (Paris) confessions and show trials begin. “My hopes have Sale/DVD (Chaptered): $348 Annual Meeting 54 min | color | 2000| Sale/DVD: $348 become ashes,” says the film’s director. But under 98 min | color-b&w | 2006 | Sale/DVD (Chaptered): $348 those ashes, embers continue to glow. 16 IcarusFilms.com CALL TOLL FREE: 800 876 1710 17 Two Films by Maryan Khakiour On One (1) DVD Two Films by Reza Haeri On One (1) DVD Siah Bâzi: The Joy Makers Final Fitting 2006 Tribeca Film Festival In Iran, Siah Bâzi theater troupes, similar to Mr. Arabpour is a spry octogenarian and master “The beauty of FINAL FITTING lies in (New York) Commedia dell’arte, traditionally performed at tailor who has served Iran’s most important religious the intersection of the tailor’s wit and weddings and parties, led by men and women in leaders for decades. He discusses the many variations Haeri’s careful editing. A study of the full harlequin garb, making impromptu skits on the traditional turban and robe, and demonstrates interplay of modesty and vanity, the peppered with subtle commentary on current how he cuts and creates the garments, adapting them humanity at the core of theocracy.” events and politics. for men with different needs. For instance, reform- —The Daily Star minded ayatollahs prefer a more sculpted and When Tehran’s troupe faces the closing of their Grand Prix Short Film, tailored style, with defined seams and pockets. 400-year-old theater, the performers face uncertain 2008 Iran International Documentary Film Festival futures as truck drivers and tea-servers. SIAH FINAL FITTING showcases the changing cultural BÂZI: THE JOY MAKERS offers a look at how styles of Iran and its clerical elite through a portrait 2009 Hot Docs Film Festival folkloric entertainment is challenged by modern of one man and his time-honored craft. (Canada) political and economic changes in Iran. All Restrictions End Shadi In the early days of the Iranian revolution, anyone 2011 Society of Visual 2009 Cinéma du Réel Moved by the plight of the “Joy Makers,” world- with press lines on his trousers would be dismissed Anthropology Conference Film Festival (Paris) renowned French stage director Ariane Mnouchkine from work. “How can one say his prayers to Allah 2010 Berlin International 48 min + 58 min | color | 2004 & 2008 invites the acting troupe to perform with her without breaking his trousers’ press lines?” This Film Festival Sale/DVD (both films): $398 now $348 Parisian avant-garde improvisational stage and other reflections on Islam and clothing charac- 2010 European Media Art ensemble, Théâtre du Soleil. terize Reza Haeri’s thought-provoking, free-form Film Festival documentary ALL RESTRICTIONS END. The documentary follows young comedic actress Shadi as she battles for her domineering husband’s The film is structured like a collage, inter- permission to travel outside Iran for the first time, weaving archival footage from Iranian and later finds herself caught between the differ- cinema, imagery from various stylistic epochs ing artistic visions of her Iranian director and in the history of Persian painting, graphics Mnouchkine while performing in Paris. from the period of the Islamic Revolution, and works provided by various artists.

48 min + 58 min | color | 2004 & 2008 31 min + 35 min | color | 2008 + 2009 Sale/DVD (both films): $398 now $348 Sale/DVD (both films): $348 18 ICARUS FILMS SEE PAGE 31 FOR ORDERING INFORMATION 19 Young Freud in Gaza A Film by PeÅ Holmquist and Suzanne Khardalian

★★★”A moving glimpse of a popula- Meet Ayad, a young Palestinian psychotherapist in tion suffering from violence and depri- Gaza. Against the background of armed clashes, he vation in a region torn by hatred and consults with patients, providing therapy and strife, this is recommended.” prescribing medication for depression, stress, and —Video Librarian suicidal tendencies. We follow him as he trains 2012 Frames of Mind young women in deep-breathing exercises to calm Film Festival Vancouver anxiety, and counsels maimed militants in medita- tion techniques. 2010 American Psychological Association Film Festival YOUNG FREUD IN GAZA also shows Ayad at 58 min | color | 2008 home with this parents, family members and Sale/DVD: $348 friends, revealing that this young mental health doctor is struggling with some personal issues of his own, including serious doubts that he is able to help his patients. As he says, “Gaza needs a million psychologists.” This Way Up A Film by Georgi Lazarevski

East of Jerusalem, the Israeli wall of separation is “THIS WAY UP is a good film...For those going up a few meters from a senior citizens’ teaching courses on the Israeli- home. Its unavoidable progression increasingly Palestinian conflict, the film can isolates residents, as both visitors and staff face provide an artistic portrait of Hothouse Palestinian lives that is humanizing of A Film by Shimon Dotan more obstacles with each passing day. the Palestinian condition.” A haunting soundtrack of bells and chimes accom- —Anthropology Review Database “Enlightening but disquieting... Filmed inside Israel’s highest security prisons, panies elderly patients sleeping in wheelchairs, a humanizing, deeply disturbing look HOTHOUSE shows everyday prison life for the and silhouetted staff members walking down long “Poignant and profound.” at a detention process that affects thousands of Palestinian “security prisoners”— hallways with glistening floors. In the gardens, —Slant Magazine nearly every Palestinian in the seen as criminals by most Israelis and freedom some protest the barrier. One man shouts his polit- “A superb documentary about the Occupied Territories, a documentary fighters by Palestinians. ical views at the television in the common room effects of politics on everyday lives.” that leaves one in stunned silence at The experience of Israeli prison life has become a during a news broadcast, while two women argue — Pop Matters the end.”—Rebecca Romani, national symbol in Palestine, with the prisons with each other over songs. Another man savors Al Jadid: A Review & Record of Arab the momentary sensual pleasures of cigarettes, Grand Prix Documentary, Culture and Arts becoming virtual universities for Palestinian 2009 Tetouan Mediterranean nationalism, shaping the prisoners’ ideology and coffee, and fruit, as he silently strolls through the Film Festival (Morocco) 2007 Special Jury Prize, strengthening their political convictions. home, the garden, and the surrounding area. Sundance Film Festival Don Quixote Award, 2008 While presenting the painful sense of despair that Krakow Film Festival (Poland) 89 min | color | 2006 rises in the home, THIS WAY UP also captures a Sale/DVD (Chaptered): $348 2008 Human Rights Watch sense of levity and hope. International Film Festival 61 min | color | 2008 Sale/DVD (Chaptered): $348

20 IcarusFilms.com CALL TOLL FREE: 800 876 1710 21 More Films & DVDs… from & about the Middle East War and Love in Kabul A Film by Helga Reidemeister Baghdad Twist Palestine: Story of a Land Directed by Joe Balass A Film by Simone Bitton “Set against the backdrop of a ruined Produced by The National Film Board of Canada Using only rare archival and newsreel world in which daughters are consid- This “visual memoir” by Baghdad-born footage, this film tells the story of Palestine ered currency, and honor killing is a filmmaker Joe Balass brings together a from the 19th century to recent times. cultural norm, the film provides an voice-over interview with Balass’ mother The best compilation of the visual record. intimate insight into Afghan society. and an evocative flow of photos, archival 120 min | color-b&w | 1992 | Sale/DVD: $398 ...An excellent film.” footage and Super-8 home movies of his —Leonardo Reviews family’s life in Iraq before their departure Saudi Solutions 2009 Margaret Mead for a new home in Canada in 1970. It is a A Film by Bregtje van der Haak Film Festival poignant portrait of Iraq’s Jewish society, which had existed since Babylonian times. Personal profiles of ambitious women in 2009 Berlin International Saudi Arabia, one of the most closed and Hossein and Shaima, who have known and loved Film Festival “Remarkable, not just the history it presents, conservative Muslim societies in the world. each other since childhood, were separated as but for the melodious way in which Balass lets 2009 Cinema du Réel teenagers by war in Afghanistan. Today, reunited (Paris) the story unfold.” “Fascinating! Shows in Kabul, they remain deeply in love, but their —Rebecca Joubin, Al-Jadid: clearly the dance 86 min | color | 2009 relationship is socially and religiously prohibited. A Review & Record of Arab between religion Sale/DVD (Chaptered): $398 Culture and Arts and the hope of a Hossein’s legs are paralyzed as a result of a war secular existence.” injury and he can no longer work. As a young 20 08 Tribeca —Middle East Film Festival woman, Shaima was sold in marriage to a man Studies Association 40 years her senior with whom she had a child. But 2008 San Francisco Jewish Film Festival 2006 Middle East Studies since her dowry remained unpaid her father brought Association Bulletin her back home, to live with her five-year-old child. 34 min | color | 2008 | | Sale/DVD (Chaptered): $248 77 min | color | 2006 | Sale/DVD (Chaptered): $390 now $348 WAR AND LOVE IN KABU explores the broader Drowning by Bullets Shi’ism: context of family life in a deeply traditional society, A Film by Philip Brooks & Alan Hayling Waiting for the Hidden Imam one in which the chances of personal happiness On the evening of October 17, 1961—seven A Film by Saïd Bakhtaoui & Mohammad Ballout are very small. years into the war in Algeria—about 30,000 Fewer than one in 10 Muslims are Algerians, ostensibly French citizens, Shi’ites, and their form of Islam is widely descended on the boulevards of central misunderstood. Ordering Information Paris to protest a curfew imposed by Filmed in Iran, Lebanon and Iraq, SHI’ISM Please refer to Order Numbers on all Orders. French authorities imposed by the French blends contemporary and historical foot- authorities in response to terrorist attacks Sales: DVDs are “leased for the life of the age and images, with interviews with by Algerian nationalists. The protesters DVD.” Muslim scholars, philosophers, writers, were met by police who beat, shot and even politicians and religious leaders. It offers Previews: DVDs may be previewed for drowned them in the Seine. Thousands valuable insights into the complex and purchase consideration by established were taken to detention centers, where largely unknown history of this small video libraries. there were more beatings and killings. branch of one of the world’s largest faiths. DROWNING BY BULLETS exposes a story Ordering: Submit all orders by purchase that quickly died, suppressed by the “A fine portrayal of the origins, defining features, order, on official institutional letterhead, French government, and a complicit press. and contemporary impact of...Shi’ism. Deeply or pay in advance of shipping. moving... thoroughly recommended!” “A must-view for students of colonialism in —The Middle East Quarterly general and, in particular, Franco-Algerian 32 Court Street, 21st Floor Tel: (718) 488-8900 | (800) 876-1710 affairs.”—The French Review “Captivating, clear and informative.” Brooklyn, NY 11201 Fax: (718) 488-8642 —Bridges Journal 52 min | color-b&w | 1992 | Sale/DVD: $390 Email: [email protected] 53 min | color | 2005 | Sale/DVD (Chaptered): $390 Web: www.IcarusFilms.com

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