EDITOR'S PICK:
One film took home a 2006 Academy Award. Another was banned in its country of origin, though it features that nation's biggest pop singer. The director of a third film armed himself with an AK-47 to ensure his project's completion. And authorities in a world-famous city allowed feature-film cameras in for the first time ever on a fourth film.
These are some of the movies comprising the Arab American National Museum's Third Annual Arab Film Festival, offering titles rarely, if ever, screened in Western countries outside of the film festival circuit. The Festival runs Friday, Nov. 2 through Sunday, Nov. 4 in the Dearborn museum's intimate, 156-seat auditorium.
The 10 festival films – five shorts and five features – originate from the U.S. and Arab countries including Egypt, Syria, Morocco, Lebanon, and even Iraq, where few indigenous films have reached Western audiences. The two opening night selections are English-language films; the rest of the festival selections are in Arabic with English subtitles, making them accessible to most viewers.
Individual tickets are $5-$6 per screening, or purchase a Festival Weekend Pass for $20 or $25 for admission to all screenings. Tickets are available at the door or in advance at www.arabamericanmuseum.org.
Donald V. Calamia
