BAMcinématek presents Contemporary Arab Cinema, Sep 29—Oct 4, and Wajib + The Films of Annemarie Jacir, Oct 5—11, with Jacir in attendance opening weekend
Aug 27, 2018/Brooklyn, NY—This fall, BAMcinématek presents two series highlighting contemporary cinema from the Arab world. From Saturday, September 29 through Thursday, October 4 Contemporary Arab Cinema comes to BAM for the first time. Curated by Lina Matta, the series showcases the complexity of Arab culture through new works from some of the Middle East and North Africa’s boldest and most innovative filmmakers. Multiple filmmakers will be in attendance during the series. From October 5 through October 11, following Contemporary Arab Cinema, BAMcinématek presents Wajib + The Films of Annemarie Jacir, an exclusive week-long run of Jacir’s latest film and the first New York retrospective of the Palestinian filmmaker’s work. Jacir will be in attendance opening weekend for post- screening Q&As.
Jacir’s career consists of a string of pioneering firsts. Her Columbia University thesis film, Like Twenty Impossibles (2003—Oct 7), screened at the Cannes Film Festival and became the first short film from the Arab world to be included in the festival’s official selection. At the same time, Jacir became the first Palestinian filmmaker to have a film screen at the storied festival. Jacir’s latest film, Wajib (2018, Oct 5— 11), stars frequent Jacir collaborator Saleh Bakri alongside his real-life father, legendary Arabic actor Mohammed Bakri. Set in Nazareth, this dark comedy observes the bubbling tensions between a progressive son and traditionalist father and speaks to the divide between the Palestinian diaspora and those who remain in Israel. The film screened in competition at the 2017 Locarno Film Festival and at the Toronto International Film Festival.
The Films of Annemarie Jacir includes Jacir’s feature films Salt of This Sea (2008—Oct 7) and When I Saw You (2012—Oct 7). Salt of This Sea, which screens with Like Twenty Impossibles, depicts a Brooklyn-born Palestinian-American woman who seeks to reclaim the ancestral land taken from her grandfather in 1948. Jacir’s second feature, When I Saw You (2012—Oct 7), tells the story of an 11-year- old boy who runs away from a refugee camp in Jordan and joins a group of Palestinian guerilla fighters following the Six-Day War in 1967. When I Saw You screens with Palestine, Summer 2006 (2006), Jacir’s short film about the political gulf separating Jerusalem and Ramallah.
Following its run at Jacob Burns Film Center (Sep 20—27), Contemporary Arab Cinema includes Beauty and the Dogs (Ben Hania, 2017—Sep 29), a feminist cri de coeur about a Tunisian college student pitted against a patriarchal bureaucratic system that seeks to silence her following her rape. Also featured in the series: Palestinian director Muayad Alayan’s The Reports on Sarah and Saleem (2018—Sep 29) about a casual extramarital affair between an Israeli woman and a Palestinian man that snowballs into a political crisis; acclaimed Lebanese director Philippe Aractingi’s Listen (2017—Sep 30), a sexy, sophisticated romance about lost love; The Journey (Al Daradji, 2017—Sep 30) about a young woman who arrives at Baghdad Central Station prepared to carry out a suicide attack; and Zagros (Omar Kalifa, 2017—Oct 1), about a Kurdish wife and mother who starts a new life in Belgium only to be followed by her jealous husband.
The series also includes the documentaries Les Petits Chats (Nakhla, 2015—Sep 29), which follows the Egyptian rock band Les Petits Chats and celebrates a golden age in Egyptian culture when music, art, and cinema flourished; The Man Behind the Microphone (Belhassine, 2017—Oct 3), which looks at Tunisia’s cultural evolution through a revealing portrait of the “Frank Sinatra of Tunisia;” and Investigating Paradise (Allouache, 2017—Oct 2), a documentary-narrative hybrid that investigates how “the theology of death” is used in jihadist recruitment in Algeria.
Other features in the series include Lucien Bourjeily’s Heaven Without People (2017—Oct 3), about a sprawling Lebanese family’s contentious Easter lunch celebration; The Blessed (Djama, 2017—Oct 4), which traces the reverberating effects of Algeria’s 1990s civil war on two generations of Algerians living in the country’s present day police state; and Induced Labor (Diab, 2017—Sep 30), a dark comedy about an Egyptian couple who plan a takeover of the American embassy in order to secure an American passport so their children can be born US citizens. For further press information, please contact: Maureen Masters at 718.724.8023 / [email protected] Lindsay Brayton at 718.724.8026 / [email protected]
Contemporary Arab Cinema Schedule:
Sat, Sep 29 3pm: Les Petits Chats 5:15pm: The Reports on Sarah and Saleem 8:30pm: Beauty and the Dogs
Sun, Sep 30 3pm: Listen 5:30pm: Induced Labor 7:45pm: The Journey
Mon, Oct 1 7pm: Zagros
Tue, Oct 2 7pm: Investigating Paradise
Wed, Oct 3 7pm: Heaven Without People 9:15pm: The Man Behind the Microphone
Thu, Oct 4 7pm: The Blessed
Wajib + The Films of Annemarie Jacir Schedule:
Fri, Oct 5 2, 4:30, 7, 9:30pm: Wajib
Sat, Oct 6 7, 9:30pm: Wajib
Sun, Oct 7 2, 9:30pm: Wajib 4:15pm: Salt of This Sea + Like Twenty Impossibles 7:15pm: When I Saw You + Summer 2006, Palestine
Mon, Oct 8 4:30, 7, 9:30pm: Wajib
Tue, Oct 9 4:30, 7, 9:30pm: Wajib
Wed, Oct 10 4:30, 7, 9:30pm: Wajib
Thu, Oct 11 4:30, 7, 9:30pm: Wajib
Film Descriptions
BEAUTY AND THE DOGS (2017) Dirs. Kaouther Ben Hania & Khaled Barsaoui. With Mariam Al Ferjani, Ghanem Zrelli, Noomen Hamda. After she is raped by a band of police officers, Tunisian college student Mariam finds herself pitted against an unfeeling, patriarchal bureaucracy that works only to silence her and protect those in power. Unfolding in a series of breathless, immersive long takes, this powerful feminist cri de coeur plunges viewers headfirst into a woman’s fearless fight for justice against all odds. DCP. 100min. Sat, Sep 29 at 8:30pm
THE BLESSED (2017) Dir. Sofia Djama. With Nadia Kaci, Sami Bouajila, Amine Lansari. The effects of Algeria’s 1990s civil war continue to resonate for two generations—a couple celebrating their wedding anniversary and their teenage son trawling Algiers for a good time—who find themselves trapped between the ghosts of the past and the stifling restrictions of the present police state. The result is “a multi-layered film, dense with ideas and questions that resonate far beyond Algerian society” (Cineuropa). DCP. 102min. Thu, Oct 4 at 7pm
INDUCED LABOR (2017) Dir. Khaled Diab. With Horeya Farghaly, Maged Elkedwany, Abdelrahman Abo Zhra. In this raucous, risky dark comedy, an Egyptian couple expecting a pair of twins hatches the “perfect” plan to secure an American passport: storm the American embassy, take the staff hostage, and give birth on US territory. It all sounds so simple…until everything starts to fall apart. Already optioned for a Hollywood remake set in Mexico, this directorial debut by Khaled Diab offers a fresh, timely perspective on the worldwide migrant crisis. DCP. 90min. Sun, Sep 30 at 5:30pm
INVESTIGATING PARADISE (2017) Dir. Merzak Allouache. With Salima Abada, Younes Sabeur Cherif, Aida Kechoud. In this provocative blend of documentary and narrative, two journalists crisscross Algeria to understand “the theology of death”—the recruitment of jihadists using the promise of eternal paradise and 72 virgins as a reward for martyrdom. In speaking to people on the street, academics, and religious leaders, they uncover complex, eye-opening insight into Algerian society and the disturbing ways in which religion can be distorted. DCP. 135min. Tue, Oct 2 at 7pm
HEAVEN WITHOUT PEOPLE (2017) Dir. Lucien Bourjeily. With Samira Sarkis, Wissam Botrous, Nadim Abou. For the first time in years, a sprawling Lebanese family convenes for a celebratory Easter lunch that gradually goes from lighthearted to off-the-rails unhinged as buried resentments, secrets, and accusations surface. Winner of the Special Jury Prize at the Dubai International Film Festival, this debut feature from Lucien Bourjeily has garnered comparisons to the Dogme 95 movement for its raw, visceral look at family dysfunction. DCP. 91min. Wed, Oct 3 at 7pm
THE JOURNEY (2017) Dir. Mohamed Al Daradji. With Zahraa Ghandour, Ameer Ali Jabarah, Iamen Laeibi Mahdi. A young woman arrives at Baghdad Central Station with a bomb strapped to her waist and a steely resolve to die in a suicide attack—but an encounter with a fast-talking hustler soon throws her mission into doubt. Unfolding entirely within the confines of the terminal, this tense and provocative two- hander from Iraqi-Dutch director Mohamed Al Daradji applies a profound humanity to complex sociopolitical tensions. DCP. 82min. Sun, Sep 30 at 7:45pm
LES PETITS CHATS (2015) Dir. Sherif Nakhla. In the 1960s and 70s, iconic Egyptian rock band Les Petits Chats achieved cult hero status with their covers of Western artists like Ray Charles, the Beatles, and James Brown. Filmed as the band prepares for its first reunion show in decades, this colorful documentary brings to life the group’s glory days, painting a vivid picture of a golden age in Egyptian culture when innovative music, art, and cinema flourished. DCP. 80min. Sat, Sep 29 at 3pm
LISTEN (2017) Dir. Philippe Aractingi. With Hadi Bou Ayash, Ruba Zarour, Yara Bou Nassar. Having spent the last decade chronicling the effects of war in Lebanon, acclaimed director Philippe Aractingi changes gears with this poignant, sexy, sophisticated romance. When an accident leaves his girlfriend comatose, a shy Beirut sound man finds a surprising way to reconnect with her. Making novel use of appropriately intricate sound design, Listen offers a refreshingly unique, down-to-earth portrait of lost love. DCP. 109min. Sun, Sep 30 at 3pm
THE MAN BEHIND THE MICROPHONE (2017) Dir. Claire Belhassine. Known as the “Frank Sinatra of Tunisia,” Hedi Jouini is the most popular musical star in the country’s history, an inspiration to revolutionaries and conservatives alike. But why did he keep his fame hidden from his family? What secrets did he keep from the nation that worshiped him? This fascinating look at Tunisia’s cultural evolution paints a revealing portrait of a man who was a father to a country yet not to his family. DCP. 98min. Wed, Oct 3 at 9:15pm
THE REPORTS ON SARAH AND SALEEM (2018) Dir. Muayad Alayan. With Adeeb Safadi, Sivane Kretchner, Ishai Golan. A domino effect of misunderstandings causes a casual extramarital affair between an Israeli woman and a Palestinian man to snowball into an explosive political crisis. Adroitly moving from romantic drama to tense psychological thriller, this sophomore feature from Palestinian director Muayad Alayan lays bare the political and ethnic fault lines that infiltrate every aspect of life in contemporary Israel. DCP. 127min. Sat, Sep 29 at 5:15pm
SALT OF THIS SEA (2008) Dir. Annemarie Jacir. With Suheir Hammad, Saleh Bakri, Riyad Ideis. The first feature film made by a Palestinian female director, Salt of This Sea is an impassioned account of one woman’s quest for liberation in a land of borders, checkpoints, and restrictions. Brooklyn-born Palestinian- American Soraya travels to her ancestral home of Jaffa determined to reconnect with her roots and reclaim the land and money seized from her grandfather in 1948—even if that means taking the law into her own hands. 109min. Sun, Oct 7 at 4:15pm + LIKE TWENTY IMPOSSIBLES (2003) Dir. Annemarie Jacir. Jacir’s faux-documentary is an incisive commentary on the struggles of the artist working amid military occupation. 17min. *Appearance by Annemarie Jacir
WAJIB (2017) Dir. Annemarie Jacir. With Mohammad Bakri, Saleh Bakri, Maria Zreik. Jacir’s newest film is a wry, sharply observed road movie and portrait of day-to-day Palestinian life in contemporary Israel. Jacir regular Saleh Bakri stars as a Palestinian living in Rome who returns home to Nazareth to help his father prepare for his sister’s wedding. The tension that arises between the progressive son and his traditionalist dad yields both dark comedy and penetrating insight into the divide between Palestinians who remain in Israel and those in the diaspora. DCP. 96min. Fri, Oct 5—11 *Appearances by Annemarie Jacir opening weekend
WHEN I SAW YOU (2012) Dir. Annemarie Jacir. With Mahmoud Asfa, Ruba Blal, Saleh Bakri. The struggle and determination of Palestinian refugees is seen through a child’s eyes in this stirring ode to a people’s resilience. With a mix of poetic wonderment and piercing realism, Jacir traces the journey of an 11-year-old boy who, in the aftermath of 1967’s Six-Day War, runs away from a refugee camp in Jordan and joins up with a band of Palestinian guerrilla fighters. 98min. Sun, Oct 7 at 7:15pm + PALESTINE, SUMMER 2006 (2006) Jacir documents a drive from Israeli-controlled Jerusalem to Ramallah in this revealing look at the vast political and cultural gulf that separates two cities only miles apart. 3min.
ZAGROS (2017) Dir. Sahim Omar Kalifa. With Halima Ilter, Feyyaz Duman, Daria Hachem Mohamet Gulli. Besieged by rumors that she is carrying on an adulterous affair, a young Kurdish wife and mother leaves everything behind to start a new life in Belgium. But when her jealous husband follows her there, she finds she may not be able to outrun the stringent moral code that governs her culture. This searing human drama is a powerful look at how the forces of family and tradition shape the experiences of Kurdish women. DCP. 102min. Mon, Oct 1 at 7pm
About BAMcinématek
Since 1998 BAM Rose Cinemas has been Brooklyn’s home for alternative, documentary, art-house, and independent films. Combining new releases with BAMcinématek year-round repertory program, the four-screen venue hosts new and rarely seen contemporary films, classics, work by local artists, and festivals of films from around the world, often with special appearances by directors, actors, and other guests. BAMcinématek has hosted major retrospectives of filmmakers like Spike Lee, Chantal Akerman, John Carpenter, Manoel de Oliveira, Luis Buñuel, King Hu, and Vincente Minnelli (winning a National Film Critics’ Circle Award prize for the retrospective), and hosted the first US retrospectives of directors Arnaud Desplechin, Hong Sang-soo, Andrzej Zulawski, and Jiang Wen. Since 2009 the program has also produced BAMcinemaFest, New York’s home for American independent film, and has championed the work of filmmakers like Janicza Bravo, Andrew Dosunmu, Lena Dunham, and Alex Ross Perry. The 12-day festival of New York premieres, now in its tenth year, ran from June 20—July 1, 2018.
Credits Leadership support for BAM Cinema programs provided by The Thompson Family Foundation.
Time Warner Foundation is the Major Sponsor of BAMcinématek.
Delta Air Lines is the Official Airline of BAM.
The Brooklyn Hospital Center is the Official Healthcare Provider of BAM.
Support for A Year of Resistance, amplifying marginalized voices in cinema, provided by The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
BAM Rose Cinemas are named in recognition of a major gift in honor of Jonathan F.P. and Diana Calthorpe Rose. BAM Rose Cinemas would also like to acknowledge the generous support of The Peter Jay Sharp Foundation, The Estate of Richard B. Fisher, Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams, Brooklyn Delegation of the New York City Council, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, New York State Council on the Arts, and Bloomberg. Additional support for BAMcinématek is provided by The Grodzins Fund, and the Julian Price Family Foundation.
Your tax dollars make BAM programs possible through funding from the City of New York Department of Cultural Affairs and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature. The BAM facilities are owned by the City of New York and benefit from public funds provided through the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs with support from Mayor Bill de Blasio; Cultural Affairs Commissioner Tom Finkelpearl; the New York City Council including Council Speaker Corey Johnson, Finance Committee Chair Julissa Ferreras, Cultural Affairs Committee Chair Jimmy Van Bramer, Councilmember Laurie Cumbo, and the Brooklyn Delegation of the Council; and Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams. BAM would like to thank the Brooklyn Delegations of the New York State Assembly, Joseph R. Lentol, Delegation Leader; and New York Senate, Senator Velmanette Montgomery.
General Information: BAM Howard Gilman Opera House, BAM Rose Cinemas, and BAMcafé are located in the Peter Jay Sharp building at 30 Lafayette Avenue (between St Felix Street and Ashland Place) in the Fort Greene neighborhood of Brooklyn. BAM Harvey Theater is located two blocks from the main building at 651 Fulton Street (between Ashland and Rockwell Places). Both locations house Greenlight Bookstore at BAM kiosks. BAM Fisher, located at 321 Ashland Place, is the newest addition to the BAM campus and houses the Judith and Alan Fishman Space and Rita K. Hillman Studio. BAM Rose Cinemas is Brooklyn’s only movie house dedicated to first-run independent and foreign film and repertory programming. BAMcafé, operated by Great Performances, offers varied light fare and bar service prior to BAM Howard Gilman Opera House evening performances.
Subway: 2, 3, 4, 5, Q, B to Atlantic Avenue – Barclays Center (2, 3, 4, 5 to Nevins St for Harvey Theater) D, N, R to Pacific Street; G to Fulton Street; C to Lafayette Avenue Train: Long Island Railroad to Atlantic Terminal – Barclays Center Bus: B25, B26, B41, B45, B52, B63, B67 all stop within three blocks of BAM Car: Limited commercial parking lots are located near BAM. Visit BAM.org for information.
For ticket information, call BAM Ticket Services at 718.636.4100, or visit BAM.org.