‘Al Araba Al Madfuna I’ and ‘II’ will screen on May 15 as part of Sharjah Art Foundation’s online film programme. The two films, released in 2012 and 2013 respectively, are the first two works in a trilogy from Wael Shawky.
The movies are based on the artist’s experience with residents in one of the oldest villages in Upper Egypt, Al Araba Al Madfuna. The movies feature children from the village, dressed as grown men, who retell stories by Egyptian writer Mohamed Mustagab.
The movies are filmed in black-and-white, in the tradition of classic Egyptian films, as they explore how ideologies and behaviours can move from a generation to the next.
The films will be screened consecutively at 9.30pm and cannot be watched on demand. They are in Arabic with English subtitles.
Previous SAF online screenings include ‘Black Girl (1966), directed by Ousmane Sembene; ‘The Three Disappearances of Soad Hosni’ (2011), directed by Rania Stephan; and ‘The Landing’ (2019), directed by Akram Zaatari.
