Cinema
All topics-
"Break norms, find freedom"
Indie film "Warsha" tackles Arab gender taboo
Lebanese director Dania Bdeir, who has just scooped up the Sundance Film Festival's award for best international short film, says she wants her short to "break the norms" on sexuality and gender in the Middle East.
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Jewish-Arab identity
Cleo Cohen's "May God be with you"
Her grandparents are Jews – born in Tunisia and Algeria. Director Cleo Cohen has now broken the silence about this with a very personal debut. By Nadine Wojcik
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Jews in Turkey
Netflix' "The Club" and Istanbul’s difficult past
A new Netflix drama series showcasing Istanbul's Jewish community in the 1950s depicts a once multicultural city. It is a production that pulls no punches, exposing dark chapters in modern Turkish history. Ayse Karabat reports from Istanbul
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Fatima & Zawahry's "American*ish"
Not quite the American dream
"American*ish" – co-written by Aizzah Fatima and Iman K. Zawahry, and directed by the latter – is a rom com for an America too many don't want to acknowledge. Whereas most mainstream American TV and films present the Muslim immigrant community as a monolithic group with a kind of hive mind, this film goes out of its way to break the mould. By Richard Marcus
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Berlin's Human Rights Film Festival
Celebrating International Human Rights Day with outstanding documentaries
To mark International Human Rights Day on 10 December, Berlin's Human Rights Film Festival is celebrating the 73rd birthday of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights with a series of film screenings and talks. Reserve your tickets now!
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The world through Tala's eyes
"Tala'vision" – sadly poetic
Winner of the Student Oscar: a little girl in a bombed-out flat in Syria. The television is her only window to the world – but even this is taken away from her. Nikolas Fischer watched the impressive film
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Netflix launches Palestinian film collection
"We want our stories to travel"
On 14 October 2021, streaming giant Netflix expanded its service to include films either produced by Palestinians or with a Palestinian theme. "Palestinian Stories" comprises 32 award-winning movies available to viewers all round the world
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Human Rights Film Festival Berlin – raising awareness
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Berlin's Human Rights Film Festival
The Moria Film School – "...and here we are"
German actress Katja Riemann has made a short yet impressive documentary about a special project in Moria. In her directorial debut, she shows how young refugees learn the basics of filmmaking. The film, part of the Human Rights Film Festival Berlin programme, can be streamed until 3 October. Rene Wildangel reports for Qantara.de
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Human Rights Film Festival Berlin – raising awareness
This year's HRFFB returned as a hybrid on- & offline festival. For 10 days, the festival showcased stories from all over the world, addressing and reflecting on human action, the socio-political status quo and fundamental issues such as democracy, justice, freedom and environmental protection.
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The West and Islam 20 years after 9/11
Paranoia, now
A deluge of books, movies, series and cover stories: ever since the events of 9/11, the West has seemed almost manically preoccupied with Islam. Yet this has rarely led to deeper understanding. Instead, what has been reinforced is the concept of Islam as fate. By Sonja Zekri
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10 films about Afghanistan
The country's tumultuous history has served as the backdrop of many international films. From "Kandahar" to "The Kite Runner", here is a selection. By Elizabeth Grenier