American mainstream cinema has certain rules, which is why it’s refreshing to see films that don’t. When you watch Transformers, you know Shia LaBeouf isn’t going to die at the end – it’s guaranteed. In mainstream American cinema, certain things simply will not happen – which is why Arab cinema is so jarringly different.
Viewers can see the genre for themselves this weekend, as two Washington movie theaters begin hosting the Arabian Sights Film Festival. The festival runs through Nov. 2.
There wasn’t always such a showcase for Arab cinema, festival director Shirin Ghareeb said in an interview with The Diamondback.
“Back 13 years ago, while I was working on the programming for the festival [the larger Filmfest DC], I came across a whole host of Arab titles that were exceptional,” Ghareeb said.
So Ghareeb put together a “minifestival” of Arab cinema, and the immediate results were promising.
“We were overwhelmed by how many people showed up,” Ghareeb said. “It just became an annual event since then.”
The festival features films from Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Syria and Palestine. Ghareeb singled out Slingshot Hip Hop, a documentary about Palestinian rap, as one of the festival’s highlights.
Slingshot follows Palestine’s alleged first real rap group, DAM, during its rise to prominence. The film follows a trio of young Palestinians as they first start copying American rap, but gradually develop their own style and sound into a political force.
They repeatedly mention Tupac Shakur as an influence, noting how the oppression of black Americans described in his music parallels their own troubles in Palestine. Indeed, part of their appeal is how their music addresses the treatment of Palestinians.
This may explain why DAM’s song “Meen Erhabi,” which translates to “Who’s the Terrorist?,” was downloaded more than a million times from their website, even though the trio didn’t have a record contract. It’s remarkably powerful to see how DAM’s music transforms apathetic and bored members of the young Palestinian population into inspired political activists.
The trio’s members will be at the film’s Sunday screening at Landmark’s E Street Cinema, and will perform at the Hard Rock Cafe immediately after the film plays.
As Abeer, one of the female rappers profiled in the film who will be attending the screening of Slingshot on Oct. 26, says in the film, “I’m just doing it because there is no other reason to live.”
Captain Abu Raed, another film featured in the festival, is also a highlight. Abu Raed (Nadim Sawalha, Whatever Lola Wants) is a widowed janitor who dreams of becoming a pilot and entertains the neighborhood kids by pretending to be one, telling them stories of his travels. Director Amin Matalqa portrays Raed as a saintly figure who is polite, humble and well read (but somehow a janitor). His strangest habit is talking lovingly to a picture of his dead wife.
But while the movie may start charming, it takes a sharp turn in the third act, when Raed must deal with the abusive father of one of the neighborhood children. The film veers into darkness and never looks back.
It was Ghareeb’s intention for the films to deal with a wide array of topics, she said.
“I don’t pick a theme when selecting the films,” Ghareeb said. “Some of the themes that are covered will include cross-cultural conflict, politics, romance, comedy, drama.”
The Arabian Sights Film Festival begins tonight and runs through Nov. 2. Complete screening information is available at www.filmfestdc.org/arabiansights.
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