Cinema
All topics-
Interview with Israeli filmmaker Mor Loushy
"I am ultimately fighting for a better future in my homeland"
Mor Loushy's moving documentary "Censored Voices" is based on the Israeli book "The Seventh Day" (Hebrew: Siach Lochamim), in which soldiers who fought in the Six Day War in 1967 talk about their personal experiences and intimate feelings. The interviews were conducted only days after the conflict by writers, including a young Amos Oz and the editor and publisher Avraham Shapira, who were, like the soldiers, Kibbutz members at the time. They wanted to understand the grief of the soldiers, grief that had been drowned out by the victory parades. Igal Avidan spoke to the director
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Ibrahim El Batout's film "El Ott"
"We sell people, we sell souls"
Ibrahim El Batout's new film "El Ott" is both shocking and disturbing. The gangster epic documents the harsh reality of life in Cairo's slums and tells of the trafficking of organs and humans in the Egyptian capital. By Sofian Philip Naceur
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Berlinale 2015: Golden Bear for Jafar Panahi's film "Taxi"
An incredible feeling of warmth and humanity
Jafar Panahi's "Taxi" truly deserves the Golden Bear it won at the Berlinale. For Jochen Kurten, the film's victory is more than just a political statement because "Taxi" takes the viewer on a journey through the Iranian capital and is full of warmth and humanity. The whole experience moved him deeply
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Abderrahmane Sissako's film "Timbuktu"
In the beginning there was violence
Abderrahmane Sissako's film "Timbuktu" portrays the nightmarish horror of Islamist rampages and at the same time invokes gentleness as a source of resistance. The compelling story is captured in masterful imagery by the cameraman Sofiane El Fani. By Hans-Jörg Rother
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Documentary: "The Green Prince"
A friendship that inspires hope
Green is the colour of Hamas. The documentary "The Green Prince" tells the story of a Palestinian who turned informer and worked for the Israeli secret service for years. Igal Avidan watched the film and spoke to its director, Nadav Schirman
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Film review: "Desert Dancer"
Dancing around clichés
The film "Desert Dancer" tells the story of an Iranian dancer in a land where dancing is not permitted. Audiences are once again presented with a biased picture of a complex country. Marian Brehmer watched the film and questions the tendency of filmmakers to portray Iran in an exclusively negative light
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Fatih Akin's film about the Armenian genocide
Processing a collective trauma
At this year's Venice International Film Festival, the German entry "The Cut" prompted discussion mainly because of its subject matter: the genocide of the Armenians. Jochen Kürten and Oliver Glasenapp spoke to the film's German-Turkish director Fatih Akin
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Iranian cinema
Shining a light on inner conflicts
"Darband" and "Sar be Mohr" are two new Iranian films that offer profound insights into the lives of young urban Iranians, highlighting their inner conflicts and the turmoil that is tearing many of them apart. Massoud Schirazi went to see both films in Teheran
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Mohammad Malas's film "Ladder to Damascus"
Between dream and disaster
In his new film, "Ladder to Damascus", the renowned Syrian filmmaker Mohammad Malas has succeeded in portraying the whole tragedy of the Syrian conflict without depicting any scenes of violence. By Charlotte Bank
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Interview with Iranian filmmaker Reza Dormishian
The rage of an entire generation on screen
The film "Asabani Nistam!" (I'm not angry!) was the only Iranian entry at this year's Berlinale film festival. On screen, young Iranians vent their anger and frustration at the day-to-day economic hardship and the general hopelessness of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's term as president. Igal Avidan spoke to the director and producer Reza Dormishian
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Mehran Tamadon's documentary "Iranien"
A bold experiment
In Mehran Tamadon's new documentary, the director enters into a debate with four loyal supporters of the regime, who better him in every aspect of the discussion. Igal Avidan saw the film at the Berlinale
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Nefin Dinc's documentary "The Other Town"
A universal story of ethnic hatred
Two towns – one in Turkey, the other in Greece – similar yet infused by mutual dislike. Birgi and Dimitsana are both "the other town" in Turkish film-maker Nefin Dinc's eponymous prize-winning documentary, which investigates the mutual animosity between two towns. By Danilo Elia