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.

This semester Nadi Cinema is partnering with Mohja Kahf's course on Arab Women Writers, examining the films in the Fall line-up by defining directing as writing. All films selected for screening are directed by women, some veteran some new, and some of these directors have penned the screenplays.  For our final film we leave the Arab world and head to South Asia for a brief comparison. Bring a friend and stay for the discussion afterward!

The series is hosted by Joel Gordon, professor in the Department of History at the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences.

All screenings are free and open to the public, and take place at 7 p.m. in the Hembree Auditorium, room 107E in the Agricultural Food and Life Science building (AFLS), next to the Pat Walker Health Center on Maple Street. Metered parking is available nearby at the Garland Avenue Parking Garage.

Wednesday, Sept. 4: Wajib/Obligation (Palestine 2017, directed by Annemarie Jacir)

A father and son deliver invitations to their daughter/sister's wedding. Will the estranged mom fly in from abroad? A micro-study of family and feud starring Palestinian stars (and real father-son), Muhammad and Saleh Bakri (Arabic w/ English subtitles - 96 minutes)

Wednesday, Oct. 2: Every Day is a Holiday/Kul Yom Eid (Lebanon 2009, directed by Dima El-Horr)

An Independence Day trip to visit prisoners goes awry, stranding a busload of women. We follow three as they make their way through a bleak countryside scarred by violence. A debut film, marked by stark realism with surreal splashes and starring the great Hiam Abbas (Arabic/French w/ English subtitles - 78 minutes)

Wednesday, Oct. 23: As I Open My Eyes (Tunisia 2015, directed by Leyla Bouzid)

Tunis on the brink of revolution - Farah and her techno band push the boundaries of what is permissible in a police state. Are they courageous or naïve? Are her parents, once youthful rebels, pillars of support - or part of the problem? (Arabic w/ English subtitles - 122 minutes)

Wednesday, Nov. 6: One-Zero/Wahed-Sefr (Egypt 2009, directed by Kamla Abu Zekry)

Eight stories are woven together in one day, which culminates in Egypt's Africa Cup victory over Cameroon. Egypt will rejoice, but is this only a brief interlude in a complex web of social, political and sexual oppression? (Arabic w/ English subtitles - 105 minutes)

Wednesday, Dec. 4: Good Morning Karachi (Pakistan 2013, directed by Sabiha Sumar)

A poor girl climbs the ladder of success in the modeling industry, but can she leave her background behind and navigate Pakistan's culture wars? Based on a best-selling novel (Urdu w/ English subtitles - 96 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 Fulbright College.

For film trailers and more information, visit the Nadi Cinema webpage 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, dedicated to the study of the modern Middle East and the geo-cultural area in which Islamic civilization prospered and continues to shape world history. More information about the King Fahd Center can be found at mest.uark.edu. For ongoing news, follow the Center on Facebook and Twitter.