SAFAR FILM FESTIVAL RETURNS TO LONDON WITH CURATOR RASHA SALTI’S CELEBRATION OF CONTEMPORARY ARAB CINEMA AND TRIBUTE TO MOHAMED KHAN

01 August '16

A vibrant celebration of Arab Cinema, the biennial SAFAR Film Festival, returns to London this autumn for its third edition, following the phenomenal success of previous programmes in 2012 and 2014. Presented by The Arab British Centre in partnership with the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA), and supported by the British Council and The Corinthia Hotel London, SAFAR takes place 14 – 18 September 2016.

The Arab British Centre is an award-winning cultural organisation that works to further understanding of the Arab world in the United Kingdom. SAFAR, the only festival in the UK solely focused on programming Arab Cinema, is The Arab British Centre’s flagship event growing the popularity of Arab film culture in the UK. SAFAR’s impressive line-up includes UK premieres, special events and a forum, bringing together some of the most significant figures in Arab Cinema, offering audiences a rare opportunity to hear from guest filmmakers directly.

SAFAR’s 2016 focus is Contemporary Arab Cinema; a testament to the unflinching vitality, versatility and creativity of Arab film culture, showcasing contemporary voices and the singular talents both from emerging filmmakers and master auteurs. Overtly defying and transgressing social and political taboos, this year’s chosen films cross genres and borders, heralding the profound transformations that have taken place in Arab societies since 2011. The selection also celebrates the breadth of work from across the Arab world with films from Algeria, Egypt, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine, Syria and Tunisia, mediating stories that challenge stereotypes and self-censorship.

Celebrated writer and independent film and visual arts curator Rasha Salti, is responsible for this year’s magnificent programme. Salti, who lives and works in Beirut, Lebanon, has previously collaborated with a number of organisations and festivals including the Musée Jeu de Paume in Paris, Tate Modern in London, the MoMA in New York and the Toronto International Film Festival. She has co-curated a number of film programmes including The Road to Damascus, with Richard Peña, a retrospective of Syrian cinema that toured worldwide, and Mapping Subjectivity: Experimentation in Arab Cinema from the 1960s until Now, with Jytte Jensen at MoMA in New York.

On being asked to curate this year’s SAFAR Rasha Salti says; “I was delighted to receive the invitation from the wonderful team at the Arab British Centre, it has been too long since I had an opportunity to present films to London audiences. Part of the magic of cinema is this charming, emotional and subjective invitation to travel to other parts of the world, and how the boundaries of foreignness and otherness dissipate with that travel. Bringing these films to London is a timely, urgent and unique pleasure. We open our programme with celebrated master filmmaker Mohamed Khan’s latest film. I suspect it’s how he would have liked all those who loved his work to grieve his passing. His legacy has shaped the imaginaries of generations, his absence will be deeply felt.”

 SAFAR learnt of the sudden passing of Mohamed Khan on the eve of our programme announcement. One of Egypt’s most prominent directors, Khan led the 1980’s wave of Egyptian realism, seeking to document everyday life on the streets of Cairo outside of the studio confines. This year’s SAFAR memorialises the venerated filmmaker by opening with the UK premiere of his final film BEFORE THE SUMMER CROWDS.

Nadia El-Sebai, Executive Director of The Arab British Centre commented; “It is with great sadness that we heard of the passing of Mohamed Khan on Tuesday morning. As the news and the media continues to depict the region through protest politics and conflict, films by Khan, and others in Rasha Salti’s selection for SAFAR, look beyond the headlines and provide a more meaningful insight into the emergent trends and social issues affecting communities across the Arab world. This years’ edition will pay tribute to Khan’s extraordinary legacy. Our condolences are with his family, colleagues and fans at this time.”

 A crowd funding campaign for the SAFAR film festival will launch on 28 July 2016. The Arab British Centre and film directors involved in the festival will offer a unique selection of film memorabilia and experiences for SAFAR audiences and film fans.  With confirmed plans for an engagement programme and a 2017 tour of SAFAR to other UK regional cities, supporters will help make this edition more ambitious and impactful than ever before! For more information about the Kickstarter campaign; https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/197300406/safar-film-festival

 A gorgeous beachfront resort, deserted during the low season, provides the evocative backdrop for SAFAR’s opening night, BEFORE THE SUMMER CROWDS (14 September 8:30pm ICA), a finely wrought psychological drama, directed by the celebrated, late Egyptian filmmaker. A seemingly light ensemble piece, Mohamed Khan serves up an exacting critique of the corrupt upper middle class and pushes the boundaries for some of Egyptian cinema’s pervasive social taboos about class, gender and desire. BEFORE THE SUMMER CROWDS is a fitting tribute to the career of one of Arab cinemas most respected figures.

Tunisia on the eve of the Jasmine Revolution provides the backdrop to director Leyla Bouzid’s accomplished first feature, AS I OPEN MY EYES, (17 September 6:00pm ICA). A tale of rebellious youth and rock n’ roll, centred on eighteen year-old Farah (a magnetic Baya Medhaffar), pulled in all directions by contradictory forces and whether to pursue her passion for music or fulfil her mother’s wish to enrol in medical school. Described as the best fictional film yet made about the Arab Spring, AS I OPEN MY EYES won the Audience Award and Best European Film at Venice and features incredible music from Iraqi musician Khyam Allami.

Structured as a noir thriller, infused with absurdist humour, Muayad Alayan’s intelligent LOVE, THEFT AND OTHER ENTANGLEMENTS (15th September, 6:15pm, ICA) looks at the bitter reality of Palestinian life in Jerusalem. The film tracks the misadventures of Mousa (Sami Metwasi), a young Palestinian living in Jerusalem who dreams of emigrating to Europe by any means possible. Construction worker turned car thief, things take a dark turn for Mousa when he finds out the stolen car contains an Israeli soldier (Riyad Sliman), bound and gagged and set to be an exchange for political prisoners. Caught between Israeli intelligence and Palestinian militants, Mousa must walk a delicate path. Inspired by real events and the grass-roots approach that directors like Robert Rodriguez and Christopher Nolan advocated, Muayad Alayan’s ambitious low-budget indie is elegantly shot in black and white, a bold artistic choice that reinforces the film’s dramatic coherence.

London-born Algerian director Salem Brahimi’s first narrative feature, LET THEM COME (16th September, 6:15pm, ICA), is a remarkable adaptation of Arezki Mellal’s novel, Telling the story of one family who must defend itself amidst the onslaught of violence between government forces and radical Islamists in 1990s Algeria, Brahimi’s film is an eloquently paced psychological drama. Featuring riveting performances from the cast, particularly Amazigh Kateb and Rachida Brakni and produced by Michèle Ray Gavras and acclaimed director Costa-Gavras, the film is dedicated to the estimated 200,000 victims who died amidst the near decade long conflict known by Algerians as the “Years of Terrorism”. Rasha Salti, director Salem Brahimi and his lead actor Rachida Brakni will take part in a discussion following the screening.

Born in Senegal, Kuwaiti visual artist Monira Al Qadiri is the subject of a retrospective shorts programme, MAVERICK FROM KUWAIT: CLOSE ENCOUNTER WITH MONIRA AL QADIRI (17th September, 2pm, ICA) followed by an ‘in conversation’ career discussion between the artist and Rashi Salti. Monira Al Qadiri’s work explores the relationship between narcissism and masculinity, as well as other dysfunctional gender roles and social and political subjects. She is also part of the artist collective GCC, who held a solo exhibition at MoMA PS1 in New York (2014). Named for the English abbreviation for the Gulf Cooperation Council, the Khaleeji group work across writing, music, visual arts and design. Keen observers of protocols and rituals, they use these to echo their experiences of the ‘now’ in the Gulf and the wider Arab world.

Fares Naanaa’s first feature BORDERS OF HEAVEN (17th September, 4pm, ICA) attests to his masterful talents as screenwriter and director, delivering understated but searing performances from his two leads. Anissa Daoud and Lofti Abdelli play a Tunisian couple in their thirties whose peaceful, happy lives are torn apart when tragedy befalls them. Wracked by guilt, despair and grief this ordinary family must find a find way to reconnect. Reminiscent of THE SON’S ROOM in how it traces the quiet, devastating effect of the loss of a child, Fares Naanaa’s story expertly handles this sense of restraint and a rare sensitivity to internalised grief.

From the balcony of his family’s apartment in Aleppo’s Midan district, director Avo Kapraelian chronicles scenes of everyday life and within his own family, that capture a sense of foreboding as the violent conflict inflaming Syria fast approaches. Predominantly made up of descendants from the Armenian genocide survivors who sought shelter there 100 years ago, Midan’s residents are soon joined by many displaced Syrians. For Armenian-Syrians whose memory is deeply etched with the tragedy of forced exile, the prospect of leaving their homes to escape death again reopens an ancestral trauma. In HOUSES WITHOUT DOORS (18th September, 2pm, ICA) Kapraelian expertly interweaves home movies with extracts from classical cinema, transforming an archive of the imaginary into an archive of lived experience, illustrating the parallels between the Armenian genocide and Syrian’s reality today.

At the heart of Sélim Mourad’s compelling kaleidoscopic film, THIS LITTLE FATHER OBSESSION (18th September, 4pm, ICA), are questions about the significance of lineage and bequeathal. After his sister’s passing, Mourad became his parents’ only child, but finds he is burdened with the knowledge that being gay, he is the last male to carry the family name. Meanwhile, the old building where his family live is falling apart. Faced with spiralling repair costs, his parents decide to sell the family home to developers. Blending documentary and auto-fiction THIS LITTLE FATHER OBSESSION probes the intimacy of family with courage, intelligence and humour. Refreshingly original and disarmingly honest Mourad’s film is a profound interrogation of the hold of patriarchy in contemporary Lebanese society, conflicting individual aspirations and the desire for emancipation.

Closing SAFAR, is Moroccan director Hicham Lasri’s audacious new feature STARVE YOUR DOG (18th September, 6pm, ICA). A once-famous journalist desperate to make a comeback lands a major interview with the dreaded interior minister Driss Basri (played by Jirari Ben Aissa) of the despotic former regime. However, the anger and dissension among her camera crew makes it hard to predict whether they’ll manage to get the interview in the can or not.

Described as Moroccan Cinema’s Sid Vicious, Hicham Lasri’s second chapter in his irreverent and prodigious ‘dog-themed’ trilogy (The first being THEY ARE THE DOGS) rewrites the facts to explore Morocco’s very recent past and its unsettled ghosts. While the incident is imagined, most characters are inspired by real people. An experimental cinematic essay, STARVE YOUR DOG is a psychedelic stream of historical consciousness, seamlessly editing archival footage, industrial sounds with tightly written imagined dialogues, including quotes from Shakespeare and Daft Punk, to provide a masterful commentary on the country’s troubled present.

This year’s SAFAR promises a programme of subversive, engaging, intriguing, entertaining and enchanting films. Prepare to be charmed by Arab Cinema at its best.

Notes to Editors:

About The Arab British Centre:

The Arab British Centre is an award-winning cultural organisation which works to further understanding of the Arab world in the United Kingdom.

The Arab British Centre established the biennial SAFAR Film Festival in 2012 to celebrate the achievements Arab cinema, and provide audiences the opportunity to access films rarely seen in the UK. The Arab British Centre was named winner of the prestigious UNESCO-Sharjah Prize for Arab Culture 2012, for the SAFAR Film Festival and the centre’s efforts to develop, disseminate and promote Arab culture in Britain.

Since it was founded in 1977, the centre has housed other like-minded organisations involved in Arab-British relations. The Arab British Centre currently supports; Banipal, the Centre for Transnational Development and Collaboration (CDTC), the Council for Arab-British Understanding (CAABU), Friends of Edward Said ConservatoryIbraaz, and Zaytoun. www.arabbritishcentre.org.uk

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Tickets on sale Monday 1st August 2016 – www.ica.org.uk 

About the ICA:

Founded in 1946, the ICA seeks to embrace the urgency surrounding contemporary art and culture. Continually looking forward, the ICA lays claim to an extraordinary legacy, being home to the Independent Group, as well as playing a pivotal role in the development of Pop Art, Op Art and Brutalist Architecture. It charted the course of Punk, Performance, Independent Cinema and Young British Art, while showcasing numerous international artists, from Yoko Ono to Gerhard Richter. The ICA has always supported interdisciplinary practice, encouraging artists to experiment and explore unresolved ideas. Comprising film screenings, exhibitions, talks and events, the ICA Programme can be experienced at our base on The Mall, via our website and social media, or as ‘Off-Site’ projects at alternative venues, nationally and internationally. The ICA has a longstanding fascination with the evolution of Pop culture in our mass digital age. ica.org.uk

The ICA is a registered charity no. 236848

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 SAFAR FILM FESTIVAL SPONSORS AND SUPPORTERS

 About the British Council:

The British Council is the UK’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities. We create international opportunities for the people of the UK and other countries and build trust between them worldwide.

We work in more than 100 countries and our 8,000 staff – including 2,000 teachers – work with thousands of professionals and policy makers and millions of young people every year by teaching English, sharing the arts and delivering education and society programmes.

We are a UK charity governed by Royal Charter. A core publicly-funded grant provides 16 per cent of our turnover which last year was £973 million. The rest of our revenues are earned from services which customers around the world pay for, such as English classes and taking UK examinations, and also through education and development contracts and from partnerships with public and private organisations. All our work is in pursuit of our charitable purpose and supports prosperity and security for the UK and globally.

For more information, please visit: www.britishcouncil.org. You can also keep in touch with the British Council through http://twitter.com/britishcouncil  and http://blog.britishcouncil.org/

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About Corinthia Hotel London:

Housed within a Victorian building, 294 rooms including 40 suites and 7 penthouses offer sweeping views across London’s most popular landmarks. Corinthia Hotel London provides unrivalled world-class luxury with superb ground floor offerings including The Northall restaurant, serving the best in British produce throughout the day; modern Italian cuisine at Massimo Restaurant & Bar and the musically inspired Bassoon Bar. The new Garden Lounge offers all-day dining options in an exotic David Collins Studio designed garden landscape, and a comprehensive cigar and spirits menu for late night entertaining.

Corinthia London is also home to the flagship ESPA Life at Corinthia, a next-generation spa housed across four floors, together with a hair salon by Daniel Galvin. The hotel boasts the largest room sizes in London, original restored Victorian columns and tall windows that let in swathes of natural light. Cutting edge technology in rooms and meeting rooms allow for recording, mixing and broadcasting from dedicated media rooms.

Corinthia London is a 21st century grand hotel located in the heart of London, created by experts with a passion for craftsmanship and an understanding of world-class service. Corinthia London is the ninth of Corinthia Hotels’ collection of five-star hotels founded by the Pisani family of Malta.  For more information visit corinthia.com/london or visit Twitter @corinthialondon or Instagram #corinthialondon.

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About  Zaytoun:

Zaytoun is a UK social enterprise importing and selling fairly traded Palestinian produce. Harvested and prepared by hand, our products are a creative response to the story of loss of land and livelihood under occupation. Our flagship product, and raison d’etre, is Palestinian Fairtrade olive oil, we also sell Medjoul dates from Jericho, organic maftoul, freekeh, Om Al Fahem almonds, za’atar and Nablus olive oil soap. For more information visit: http://www.zaytoun.org/

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For further information on programme and materials please contact Margaret:

Sarah Bemand Sarah@margaretlondon.com / T:0207 739 8203