São Paulo – By portraying in the cinema the dramas of central characters Basem (Saleh Bakri), the young Adam (Muhammad Abed El Rahman), and British social worker Lisa (Imogen Poots), the film “The Teacher” explores the daily life of a society that seeks survival and happiness in the simplest things in life, such as a meal among friends or even a smile.
Despite this, the facts surrounding an incident involving Basem’s son and a tragedy in Adam’s family, along with a negotiation for the release of an Israeli soldier, continue to show the protagonists of the film, which opened the 19th Arab World Cinema Festival, that perhaps peace and happiness are still very far away. Nominated for the 2021 Oscar for Best Live Action Short Film for “The Present,” Palestinian British director Farah Nabulsi repeats her collaboration with Bakri to present to the audience the everyday life of Palestinians in a fictional narrative based on reality.
“The Professor” was the opening film of the 19th film festival, organized by the Institute for Arab Culture (Icarabe) and sponsored by the Arab-Brazilian Chamber of Commerce (ABCC), Arab House, and the Sleep Institute. The 11 new films screening, as well as the premiere session, are at CineSesc in São Paulo.
The curator of the film festival and a board member at the ABCC, Arthur Jafet, said at the event’s opening that the films selected for screening share a common fact: They are productions from a new generation of directors who seek to break away from clichés, whether in cinema or in the perception of the world and Arab culture.
“They are all made by a youth intent on freeing itself from the political and social clichés that international cinema often confines the Arab world’s cinematography to. It is a true display of strength, carried out by a new generation eager to put the Arab world on the cinema map. Far from any stigma, this generation aims to deconstruct clichés and broaden the boundaries of the debate,” Jafet said.
Icarabe’s Secretary-General, Natalia Calfat, noted that on Thursday, the Institute was celebrating its 20th anniversary, and in 2024 it commemorates the centenary of Aziz Ab’Saber, geographer, honorary president, and patron of Icarabe, who passed away in 2012. She said the films in the festival present human dramas and coexistence that transcend origin, race, and religion. “They are not limited to a particular culture, they are not tied to a specific religion, and they are not confined to a specific region. They are collections,” she said.
ABCC Vice-President of Communication and Marketing Silvia Antibas said that, although being a chamber of commerce, the ABCC seeks to support the dissemination of culture. “We understand the importance of having a cultural side as well and promoting Arab culture in a way that allows people to understand and respect one another, especially in challenging times like those we are living through today,” she said.
Film festival on focus
The festival will run until September 4, featuring 11 previously unreleased films. One of them, “The Poet King”, by Portuguese director Carlos Gomes, will have its world premiere in a screening scheduled for Saturday (31) at 5:30 pm, with the filmmaker in attendance. On Sunday (1), there will be a debate on current issues following the screening of “A Burden,” which begins at 5:30 pm.
“The Poet King” takes a journey through the territory of “Al Andalus” while following the story of Al-Mu’tamid, the ruler with a penchant for poetry. “A Burden” focuses on the demands placed on women in family matters. Other highlights of the program include “Immortals,” in which a young woman questions civil liberties and rights in Iraqi capital Baghdad. In “Return to Alexandria,” the protagonist returns to her hometown after 20 years away and rediscovers the memories and feelings of her past.
The festival offers a journey through the societies and cultures of Jordan, Lebanon, Yemen, Palestine, and Egypt, exploring themes ranging from political and social issues to memory and the past in storytelling forms that blend fiction and documentary. As “The Professor,” they shed light on the dramas and questions of the Arab world through the art of cinema. More information about the 19th Arab World Film Festival and its program is available at https://mundoarabe2024.icarabe.org/
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Arab film festival to be hosted in São Paulo
Translated by Guilherme Miranda
