Cinema
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Film review: "Gaza mon amour"
Palestinian world cinema by the Nasser brothers
With "Gaza mon amour", the Nasser brothers have made a film in a genre that doesn't actually exist: regular Palestinian arthouse cinema. By Bert Rebhandl
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Turkey five years after the attempted coup
"Witch hunt" focuses on Turkish artists and intellectuals
Artists and intellectuals in Turkey are coming under massive pressure. Since the attempted coup against Erdogan by parts of the military in 2016, the government has intensified its crackdown on critical voices. Now the coronavirus pandemic is proving the final nail in the coffin. Ceyda Nurtsch reports
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Aminatou Echard's "Jamilia" documentary
Recording the struggle for women's rights in Kyrgyzstan
Aminatou Echard's poetic documentary takes the 1958 novel "Jamilia" by Chingiz Aitmatov as the starting point for conversations with Kyrgyz women of all generations. Inspired by the novel’s eponymous heroine, the protagonists open up about their experiences, desires, and views on women’s rights. By Adela Lovric
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Turkey's handle on soft power
Hit TV series from Turkey conquer the Arab world
Televised Turkish dramas are all the rage in the Middle East. A young Ottoman TV Empire has been expanding its soft power by harnessing regional dialects, Arabic names and viewers' desire for racy-yet-traditional plots. By Jennifer Holleis
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Avi Mograbi's documentary "The First 54 Years"
A "manual for the occupation"
In his latest documentary, "The First 54 Years", Israeli director Avi Mograbi demonstrates how catastrophic and traumatising the occupation has been, not only for Palestinians, but also for Israeli society at large. Rene Wildangel reports on the film for Qantara.de
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Iraqi women filmmakers
The power of stories and moving images
The four short films produced as part of the "Women Make Film" project are well worth seeing. They grapple with the ghosts that haunt Iraq: the horrors of IS rule, outdated gender roles and the aftermath of dictatorship. Christopher Resch spoke to the filmmakers
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Interview with Iranian filmmaker Shahram Mokri
"We are lucky to be alive today"
In August 1978, four men set fire to the Cinema Rex in the Iranian city of Abadan, killing more than four hundred people inside. The event is said to have started the Iranian Revolution to overthrow the Shah's regime. Forty years later, "Careless Crime" by Iranian filmmaker Shahram Mokri depicts four men planning to burn down a cinema in a contemporary Iran where ghosts of the past haunt the current society. Interview by Schayan Riaz
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Human Rights Film Festival Berlin
Lives in limbo
The Human Rights Film Festival Berlin has been held for the third time in 2020 under the patronage of Nadia Murad. In just a short time, this festival, which was initiated by the NGO Action Against Hunger, has evolved into a highlight in the German film calendar. By René Wildangel
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Film review: Iranian-German movie "Bandar Band"
Hope amid adversity
Iranian director Manijeh Hekmat expected the production of her latest movie to go ahead as planned – but then she found herself having to improvise. The resulting film is more than just an homage to Iran's landscapes. By Heike Mund
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Film review: Mati Diop's "Atlantics"
Ada, to whom the future belongs
The outstanding debut feature of French-Senegalese filmmaker Mati Diop is an eclectic cinematic composite of genres and a startling social drama on contemporary transatlantic migration, in which a tragic scenario spiked with supernatural elements proves a catalyst for transformation and reversal. By Adela Lovric
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Islamism in Senegal
A fight for the soul of Islam
Violent Islamist fundamentalism has not yet come to Senegal, but it could – just as it has in Mali, Burkina Faso and Nigeria. A fascinating new feature film from Senegal shows how it could happen. By Aviva Freudmann
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Haifaa Al-Mansourʹs ʺThe Perfect Candidateʺ
When the patriarchy has better things to do
Haifaa Al-Mansour’s new film follows on from her successful debut, ʺWajdaʺ. In ʺThe Perfect Candidateʺ, the talented Saudi filmmaker again addresses the issue of equality. It’s her best work to date, says Schayan Riaz