Middle East Cinema Series Announces Spring 2017 Line-Up

From Turkey to Palestine, Iran to India, Nadi Cinema introduces viewers to the storytelling and vision of filmmakers across North Africa and the Middle East. All films — classics, cult favorites, recent hits, comedies, tragedies, political thrillers, social commentaries, and romances, in black-white and living color — are subtitled in English. The series is hosted by Joel Gordon, Professor of History; screenings are free and open to the public.

All screenings take place in the Hembree Auditorium, room 107E in the Agricultural Food and Life Science building (AFLS), next to the Pat Walker Health Center on Maple Ave. Screenings begin at 7 p.m. and are free and open to the public.

Jan. 25 – Free Men (Ismael Ferroukhi, France 2011)

Set in Nazi-occupied Paris, a tale of resistance and sanctuary centered on the Paris grand mosque, starring Tahar Rahim as a young Algerian one step ahead of the law, and Mahmoud Shalaby as singing sensation Salim Halali, soon to be the Elvis of North Africa. French/Arabic with English subtitles – 99 minutes.

Feb. 22 – Vavien (Yagmar and Durul Taylan, Turkey 2009)

From Turkey's Coen Brothers, a black comedy set in a small town on the Black Sea. Unhappily married, hopelessly in debt and in love with a low class nightclub singer, Celal contrives a plan to steal his wife's inheritance. Turkish with English subtitles – 100 minutes.

March 29 – Low Heights (Ebrahim Hatamikia, Iran 2002)

Desperate to change his life situation, Ghassem decides to take his family to the Gulf for work.  En route, he makes a bold decision to hijack the plane.  Negotiations ensue.  Starring Leila Khatemi and written by 2011 Oscar-winning director Asghar Farhadi (A Separation).  Farsi with English subtitles - 115 minutes.

April 19 – Zinda Bhaag (Meenu Gaur and Farjad Nabi, Pakistan 2013)

Three friends dream of escaping dead-end lives in Lahore, but the pull of friends, lovers, and a local mafia lord (Indian star Naseer Uddin Shah) create barriers.  Light-hearted, with a poke at Lollywood, but ultimately dead serious, this was Pakistan's nominee for a 2014 foreign language Oscar.  Urdu with English subtitles – 120 minutes.

May 3 – Daratt/Dry Season (Mahamat-Saleh Haroun, Chad 2006)

A tale of revenge of Biblical proportions, filled with eloquent silences.  In the uneasy wake of the country's decades-long civil war, a fatherless boy sets out to murder a childless man. Commissioned to mark Mozart's 250th birthday. Arabic with English subtitles – 95 minutes.

All five film screenings are free and open to the public, and all are subtitled in English. Nadi Cinema is sponsored by the King Fahd Center for Middle East Studies in the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences.  

For film synopses, trailers and more information, visit the Nadi Cinema page and follow the King Fahd Center on Facebook and Twitter.

About the King Fahd Center for Middle East Studies: The King Fahd Center for Middle East Studies is an academic and research unit in the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Arkansas. An interdisciplinary and interdepartmental area studies center that offers diverse cultural, intellectual, and educational opportunities for the University of Arkansas community, the Center promotes research and teaching in interdisciplinary Middle East studies. The Center offers an undergraduate major in Middle East Studies through the Middle East Studies (MEST) Program and supports graduate studies in related departments with graduate assistantships, as well as summer language study, conference travel, and field research grants, and teaching and research by visiting scholars from affiliated universities and programs. More information about the King Fahd Center can be found at mest.uark.edu. For ongoing news, follow the Center on Facebook and Twitter.