2011 Film Schedule

18 days. That is what it took for Egyptians to change the course of history. It is also the title of a collective work on the revolution of January 25th in Egypt. A group of ten directors, including two women, and their crews agreed to act fast and shoot, ten short films about the revolution. Ten stories they have experienced, heard or ... more

The latest from Arabian Sights favorite, Josef Fares (Jalla! Jalla!), Balls is a heart-warming comedy about love, friendship and the art of being a man. Aziz is a cheerful, carefree guy looking forward to soon becoming a grandfather. Life is good, or at least better than for his coworkers: Juan has his way with the local ... more

A pair of star-crossed lovers struggle to achieve a better future in this powerful, raw drama about life in contemporary Cairo. 18-year-old Amal lives with her mother and step-father, a compulsive gambler, in the poor neighborhood of Bashtel where day-to-day existence is difficult for everyone. When Amal tells her Muslim boyfriend, Tarek, ... more

In this bold film, three women from different ends of Cairo's complex social hierarchy converge as they each do their part to combat sexual harassment in the city. Fayza is a traditionally-minded mother in search of justice. Seba is a wealthy jewelry designer recovering from a vicious gang assault. Nelly, an aspiring stand-up comic, draws ... more

Within the walls of an ideal home, in one of the city's upscale districts, lives the Mickey family. A father with a military background, a mother (played by Lebleba) who juggles her home responsibilities with her job as a legal investigator, a grandmother and five children, all start an average day one morning. The supposedly "normal" ... more

Dino Fabrizzi is the number one salesman at the Maserati dealership in Nice in this light-hearted comedy by writer/director Olivier Baroux. At 42 years old, he's at a high point in his life – he’s inches away from being promoted to a senior position at the dealership and his beautiful girlfriend of a year, Hélène, has every intention ... more

With the smooth, sure-handed direction by Sameh Zoabi in his feature debut, Man Without a Cell Phone presents a humorous, sharp take on the social milieu of a Palestinian village inside Israel. Jawdat, a restless young concrete worker, just wants to have fun with his friends, talk on his cell phone and find love - a near impossible ... more

Winner of numerous awards including Best Arab Film at the 2010 Cairo Film Festival and the first Egyptian film to win Best Film at the Carthage International Film Festival in 2010. Inspired by Alexandria's new generation of artists, Microphone is an urban musical drama that tells the tale of artists who fight to share their work ... more

In this satirical and action-packed comedy by the Swiss filmmaker Laurent Nègre, renowned Moroccan actor Tarik Bakhari plays Saadi – a regular guy who happens to be an illegal Arab immigrant – who is mistaken for a terrorist and sets out on the most dangerous day of his life. After losing his job as a hotel dishwasher, he heads to the ... more

Mustapha (played by comic Mohamed Bastaoui) is Casablanca's barber to retired high-ranking government officials, former cabinet ministers and power brokers. Using his access to the retired bigwigs, Mustapha also runs an underground business greasing the wheels of bureaucracy. He agrees to help his schoolteacher neighbor, Zakia (Houda ... more

80-year-old Sayyed el-Dawwy is the last living interpreter of the Sira, the most significant Arabian epic poem. He is the only one alive who knows all 5 million verses by heart and performs them across Egypt in its original musical form. Now, he wants to pass the knowledge of the Sira down to his grandson Ramadan, just as it has been ... more