Events List

The 2010 Middle Eastern Film Festival on Tour,
Supported by Regional Screen Scotland

The film screenings are part of the Middle Eastern Film Festival on tour, with funding from Regional Screen Scotland.
 
The Organisers and Partners of the Middle Eastern Film Festival are the Middle East Festival, MESP, and the Filmhouse, supported by the Department of Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies of the University of Edinburgh, the British Council, Screen Academy Scotland, Scottish Screen, and Regional Screen Scotland. This project is organised by Neill Walker (on behalf of MESP), and James McKenzie (on behalf of the Filmhouse), and is managed by Neill Walker (on behalf of the EICSP). Middle East Festival Website: www.mesp.org.uk Filmhouse Website: www.filmhousecinema.com

Bo’ness Hippodrome

Sunday 7 and Thursday 11 March 2010

Event: Film: Song of Sparrows.
Venue: The Hippodrome, 10 Hope Street, Bo'ness, EH51 0AA.
Date: Sunday 7 March 2010.
Time: 2.30pm
Event Description: The Song of Sparrows
Avaze gonjeshk-ha
 
Majid Majidi / Iran 2008 / 1h36m /Persian with English subtitles / 12A
 
Cast: Reza Naji, Maryam Akbari, Kamran Dehghan, Hamed Aghazi, Shabnam Aklaghi.
 
This charming and beautifully crafted tale is the latest film from Iran's only Oscar-nominated director, Majid Majidi (Children of Heaven). Karim works at an ostrich farm outside Tehran. He leads a simple and contented life with his family in his small house, until one day one of the ostriches runs away, Karim is blamed for the loss and fired from the farm. Soon after, he travels to the city and finds himself mistaken for a motorcycle taxi driver. Thus begins his new profession: ferrying people and goods through heavy traffic. But the job starts to transform Karim's generous and honest nature, much to the distress of his wife and daughters. It is up to those closest to him to restore the values that he had once cherished.
The film will be introduced by Maryam Ghorbankarimi.
Cost: £5.10 (£3.85 Concessions).
Contact and Booking: The Hippodrome Box Office is open Saturdays 10.15am – 2.30pm, and also opens 45 minutes before, and closes 15 minutes after the start of each screening.  Tickets can be booked in advance during the open hours OR from the Steeple Box Office, Falkirk High Street, (Tel: 01324 506850), Monday – Saturday, 9.30am – 4.45pm. Telephone bookings are subject to a 50p booking fee.

Event: Film: Cairo Station.
Venue: The Hippodrome, 10 Hope Street, Bo'ness, EH51 0AA.
Date: Thursday 11 March 2010.
Time: 8pm.
Event Description: Cairo Station
Bab el hadid
 
Youssef Chahine / Egypt 1958 / 1h30m /Arabic with English subtitles / PG
 
Cast: Youssef Chahine, Hind Rostom, Farid Shawqi, Hassan el Baroudi, Abdel Aziz Khalil.
 
In and around the station, many people try to scrape a living and some loving. Kenawi, a limping, love-hungry newspaper seller, falls for Hanuma, a feisty, voluptuous siren. Hanuma is one of a group of unofficial female vendors who dodge the authorities to sell soft drinks to passengers. She is about to marry Abu Seri, a loud and heavy-handed porter who is trying to form a trade union. Meanwhile, newspapers report on a gruesome murder. Chahine, who made his first film in 1950 and received a Lifetime Achievement Award at Cannes in 1997, explores sexuality, repression, madness and violence among the marginalised in this film, regarded as one of his masterpieces.
The film will be introduced by Maryam Ghorbankarimi.
Cost: £5.10 (£3.85 Concessions).
Contact and Booking: The Hippodrome Box Office is open Saturdays 10.15am – 2.30pm, and also opens 45 minutes before, and closes 15 minutes after the start of each screening.  Tickets can be booked in advance during the open hours OR from the Steeple Box Office, Falkirk High Street, (Tel: 01324 506850), Monday – Saturday, 9.30am – 4.45pm. Telephone bookings are subject to a 50p booking fee.

Fife

Saturday 27 and Sunday 28 March 2010

Event: Film: Cairo Station.
The Middle Eastern Film Festival organised by MESP in partnership with Fife Council.
Venue: Colinsburgh Town Hall, 2 Main Street, Colinsburgh, Fife, KY9 1LS.
Date: Saturday 27 March 2010.
Time: 7pm: Introduction.
7.10pm: Music Recital.
7.50pm: Buffet.
8.20pm: Film.
10.30: Finish and Thanks.
Event Description: Screening of the classic of Egyptian cinema, ‘Cairo Station.’ Also a recital of traditional Egyptian Music by Nabil Ramry and a buffet provided by the Kirkcaldy Coptic Community.

Cairo Station
Bab el hadid
 
Youssef Chahine / Egypt 1958 / 1h30m /Arabic with English subtitles / PG
 
Cast: Youssef Chahine, Hind Rostom, Farid Shawqi, Hassan el Baroudi, Abdel Aziz Khalil.
 
In and around the station, many people try to scrape a living and some loving. Kenawi, a limping, love-hungry newspaper seller, falls for Hanuma, a feisty, voluptuous siren. Hanuma is one of a group of unofficial female vendors who dodge the authorities to sell soft drinks to passengers. She is about to marry Abu Seri, a loud and heavy-handed porter who is trying to form a trade union. Meanwhile, newspapers report on a gruesome murder. Chahine, who made his first film in 1950 and received a Lifetime Achievement Award at Cannes in 1997, explores sexuality, repression, madness and violence among the marginalised in this film, regarded as one of his masterpieces.
The film will be introduced by Stefanie Van De Peer.
Cost: £3.50/£2 (Concessions and block bookings (over 10)).
Contact and Booking: Peter Marshall, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , 01333 340360.

Event: Film: Eye of the Sun.
The Middle Eastern Film Festival organised by MESP in partnership with Fife Council.
Venue: Crail Community Hall, St Andrews Road, Crail, KY10 3UH.
Date: Sunday 28 March 28 2010.
Time: 7pm: Introduction.
7.10pm: Music Recital.
7.50pm: Buffet.
8.20pm: Film.
10.30: Finish and Thanks.
Event Description: Screening of Egyptian cinema, "Eve of the Sun." Also a recital of traditional Egyptian Music by Nabil Ramry and a buffet provided by the Kirkcaldy Coptic Community.

Eye of the Sun
Ein Shams
 
Ibrahim El-Batout / Egypt/Morocco 2008 / 1h30m / Arabic and Italian with English subtitles / 15
 
Cast: Hanan Youssef, Boutros Boutros-Ghali, Ramadan Khater, Hanan Adel, Samar Abdelwahab.
 
From once being the capital of Egypt during the Pharaonic era and a sacred location marked by the visit of Jesus and the Virgin Mary, Ein Shams has become one of the poorest and most neglected areas of Cairo. Through the eyes of Shams, a playful, inquisitive, 11-year-old girl inhabitant of this neighbourhood, the poignant and charming Eye of the Sun journeys through modern day Egypt, weaving a mosaic of images and sounds.
The film will be introduced by Stefanie Van De Peer.
Cost: £3.50/£2 (Concessions and block bookings (over 10)).
Contact and Booking: Jack Jarvis, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Universal Hall, Findhorn

Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 April 2010

Event: Film: Pomegranates and Myrrh.
Venue: Universal Hall, Findhorn.
Date: Saturday 10 April 2010.
Time: 7.30pm.
Event Description: Pomegranates and Myrrh
Al-mor wa al rumman
 
Najwa Najjar / Palestine 2008 / 1h35m /Arabic, English and Hebrew with English subtitles / 12A
 
Cast: Yasmine Al Massri, Ashraf Farah, Ali Suliman, SamiaKuzmoz Bakri, Yussef Abu Warda.
 
Najwa Najjar's debut feature combines a stellar cast, a set of remarkable locations within the Palestinian territories, and a powerful story of love under pressure. With the politics left in the
background, Najjar opens with a brilliant ensemble scene – the joyous wedding of olive farmer Zaid (newcomer Ashraf Farah) and dancer Kamar (the stunning Al Masri), the moment before their lives unravel.
The film will be introduced by Stefanie Van De Peer.
Cost: £4/£3 (under 16).
Contact and Booking: Universal Hall, 01309 691170, Pay on door. www.universalhall.co.uk

Event: Film: On the Way to School.
Venue: Universal Hall, Findhorn.
Date: Sunday 11 April 2010.
Time: 7.30pm.
Event Description: On the Way to School
İki Dil Bir Bavul
 
Orhan Eskiköy & Ozgür Dogan / Turkey/Netherlands 2009 / 1h21m / Turkish and Kurdish with English subtitles / 12A
 
Documentary
 
Recently graduated primary teacher Emre has been sent to run a remote school in Turkish Kurdistan. He arrives to discover a village with no running water, a somewhat relaxed approach to school attendance and pupils who only speak Kurdish, a language fervently prohibited by the Turkish government. Filmed over one year, this is a beautiful, affectionate and gently humorous observation of Emre (never far from a phone call home to his mum) and his class, as they struggle to come to terms with one another's customs.
The film will be introduced by Stefanie Van De Peer.
Cost: £4/£3 (under 16).
Contact and Booking: Universal Hall, 01309 691170, Pay on door. www.universalhall.co.uk

CatStrand

Saturday 17 April 2010

Event: Film: Eye of the Sun.
Venue: The CatStrand, High Street, New Galloway, DG7 3RN.
Date: Saturday 17 April 2010.
Time: 7.30pm.
Event Description: From once being the capital of Egypt during the Pharaonic era and a sacred location marked by the visit of Jesus and the Virgin Mary, Ein Shams has become one of the poorest and most neglected areas of Cairo. Through the eyes of Shams, a playful, inquisitive, 11-year-old girl inhabitant of this neighbourhood, the poignant and charming Eye of the Sun journeys through modern day Egypt, weaving a mosaic of images and sounds.

Ibrahim El-Batout/Egypt/Morocco 2008/1h30m/Arabic and Italian with English subtitles /15
Cast: Hanan Youssef, Boutros Boutros-Ghali, Ramadan Khater, Hanan Adel, Samar Abdelwahab.
The film will be introduced by Maryam Ghorbankarimi (TBC).
Cost: £4.50/£3.50 (Concessions).
Contact and Booking: 01644 420374, www.catstrand.com

Robert Burns Centre Film Theatre

Sunday 18 April 2010

Event: Film: Pomegranates and Myrrh.
Venue: Robert Burns Centre Film Theatre, Mill Road, Dumfries, DG2 7BE.
Date: Sunday 18 April 2010.
Time: 6pm.
Event Description: Pomegranates and Myrrh
Al-mor wa al rumman
 
Najwa Najjar / Palestine 2008 / 1h35m /Arabic, English and Hebrew with English subtitles / 12A
 
Cast: Yasmine Al Massri, Ashraf Farah, Ali Suliman, SamiaKuzmoz Bakri, Yussef Abu Warda.
 
Najwa Najjar's debut feature combines a stellar cast, a set of remarkable locations within the Palestinian territories, and a powerful story of love under pressure. With the politics left in the background, Najjar opens with a brilliant ensemble scene – the joyous wedding of olive farmer Zaid (newcomer Ashraf Farah) and dancer Kamar (the stunning Al Masri), the moment before their lives unravel.
The film will be introduced by Stefanie Van De Peer.
Cost: £5.50/£4.10 (Concessions).
Contact and Booking: 01387 264808. www.rbcft.co.uk

Stefanie Van de Peer, Belgian by birth and living in Edinburgh, is a third year PhD student at Stirling, researching North African documentaries by women. She is the co-director of the Africa in Motion film festival. This is the first year she is also a happy volunteer for MESP.

Maryam Ghorbankarimi, PhD Student in Film Studies, Department of Languages, Literature and Cultures, University of Edinburgh.

Born and raised in Iran, Maryam Ghorbankarimi moved to Canada in 2001 to continue her education in film at Toronto's Ryerson University. She is currently studying for her PhD in film studies at the University of Edinburgh and her research focus is on representation of women in Iranian Cinema. Maryam is also a filmmaker and has made a number of short films, both fiction and documentary, which have been shown at festivals such as Montreal International Film Festival, Beijing International Short Film Festival, and Tehran International Short Film Festival. Her research interests include women, gender, and cinema, and in general the cinema of developing countries.