September 24, 6 PM: "You are my Love" by Youssef Chahine (Egypt, 1957, 120 min)

Admission is Free! 

Synopsis:

A classic of Arab cinema, You Are My Love is a delightful, lighthearted musical directed by Egypt’s most renowned filmmaker and starring popular singers Farid Al Atrash and Shadia. Out of economic necessity, two Cairene families decide to marry their children. But Farid and Yasmina cannot stomach one another. Farid is secretly leading a busy nightlife, singing in a fashionable club and carrying on a love affair with its star belly dancer. Yasmina is having an affair with another man. But As they plot together to dupe their families, they can’t help but fall in love.
In Arabic w/English subtitles.

Filmmaker’s Bio:

Youssef Chahine (born in Alexandria, Egypt, 1926) studied film and dramatic arts at the Pasadena Play House. After his return to Egypt, at age 21, he directed his first feature film Baba Amin. Chahine has been making films ever since, becoming Egypt’s most prolific and internationally acclaimed filmmaker. These include Cairo Station (1958), Nasser Salah Eldin (1963), The Land (1969), The Sparrow (1973) and the autobiographical trilogy Alexandria Why? (1978), An Egyptian Story (1982) and Alexandria Again and Forever (1989). His recent titles include The Emigrant (1994), Destiny (1997) and Silence! We’re Rolling (2001). In total, he has directed this far thirty three features and has won a score of awards, including a life-time achievement award at Cannes International Film Festival in 1998. He has been decorated 12 times to the order of commander of the arts and letters by Egypt, Tunisia, Lebanon, and France.

Print courtesy of the Egyptian National Film Center.

October 30 , 6 PM: "The Best Times" by Hala Khalil (Egypt, 2004, 113 min)  U.S. Premiere

To buy tickets, please visit web site: http://www.arteeast.org

Synopsis:

The latest box-office hit from Egypt, The Best Times marks the new wave of social drama in Egyptian cinema. Popular actress Hanan Turk is Salma, a young woman who struggles with an overwhelming sense of loneliness after the unexpected death of her mother, is forced to leave her stepfather’s house in a rich suburb of Cairo, she returns to Shobra, the popular neighborhood where she grew up. A series of anonymous letters and a cassette of her beloved singer Mohammed Mounir send her on a journey to rediscover her past and her relationship with her estranged stepfather.
In Arabic w/English subtitles

Post-screening panel discussion with filmmaker Hala Khalil and Mona Eltahawy (Arabic Women’s eNews).  Program co-presented by Arabic Women’s eNews.

Filmmaker’s Bio:

Hala Khalil obtained her degree in film directing from the Film Academy in Cairo in 1992. She made some short films and documentaries, including: Ahbabac Ashra (2000), Jamal al-Thaoura (1999) and Hillopolis (2002). She has also made a TV-series titled Shabab Online. Her award winning short film The Kite participated in many festivals, winning international acclaim. The Best Times is her first feature film.

Festivals and Awards:

• Second Prize, Rotterdam Arab Film Festival, 2004

Reviews:

The film begins with the enjoyable song Al Donya Risha Fi Hawa…aka Life is a feather in the air, in the voice of Saad Abd El Wehab, whilst at the end of the film we listen to the same song sung by Mouhamed Mounir.. Between the beginning and the end Hala Khalil the new director revives [sic]. She carefully paints live feeling, she whispers through the accumulated scenes a drama of her vision, that through the jam of life we lose our communication ability as we fail to get to know the others, and above all, we fail to know ourselves!
— Tarek El Shinnawi , www.arab-celebs.com