This year at Cannes don’t expect a red carpet or the luxurious yatch parties that dot the French riviera . Cannes 2020 will be a different event with no audience participation this year. Here are the four films from the Arab world that will be featured in their selection, despite the event not officially going forward due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Algerian-French film ADN by director Maïwenn where in the director explores his own complex family roots has been shortlisted in the In ‘The Faithful’ category. The category features directors whose films have been screened before as part of Offical selection in Cannes.
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Lebanese director Danielle Arbid’s French-language film 'Passion Simple' follows the evolution of intimate portrayal of forbidden love. A man and a woman are brought together by chance for several months. He is younger than she is, married, Russian, officially a diplomat stationed in Paris. She is a beautiful teacher and researcher, with her feet firmly on the ground. It is an honor for the Director to be part of the ‘The Newcomers’ category which features experienced directors in Official Selection for the first time.
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Egyptian film “Souad” has been selected for inclusion in Cannes Film Festival in the ‘The Newcomers’ category, which will be held under an unprecedented atmosphere in the light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Directed by Egyptian filmmaker Ayten Amin’s 'Souad' is a portrayal of a young girl who embarks on a journey after her sister commits suicide. The film stars a number of acting talents casted from Egypt’s Delta cities, and has been shot in different cities outside of Cairo.
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The Lebanese movie, Broken Keys, managed to achieve a new achievement for Lebanese cinema by choosing it among the official nominations for the Cannes Film Festival, which differs in form and content this year from all previous years due to the Corona pandemic. Lebanese director Jimmy Keyrouz’s first Cannes-selected feature Broken Keys tells the story of a pianist who leaves his war-torn Lebanese village after it’s overtaken by extremists. Some of the film’s scenes were filmed in the city of Mosul in Iraq, amidst tight security measures.
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In addition to this, there are short films which will be also screened at Palm Springs International Short Fest, to be held virtually this month. Here are the 6 Arab films competing in 2020 ShortFest. ‘The Present’. This is Palestinian-British filmmaker Farah Nabulsi's first debut short production. The film tells the story about a man named Yusef and his daughter who set out in the West Bank to buy his wife a gift on their wedding anniversary.
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'Soukoon', is a 14-minute Arabic film by Lebanese director Farah Shaer. The short film tells the story of Mariam whose marriage is in turmoil when she discovers she is pregnant.
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‘Stallions of Palestine’. This documentary directed by US filmmaker Elise Coker revolves around a Palestinian horse breeder and his family that raises Arabian horses in the West Bank.
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'Ome' is directed by Lebanese director Wassim Geagea’s . Following the death of his mother, 9-year-old Elias goes to extreme lengths to naively bring her back from heaven all while defying his faith.
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‘Henet Ward’ . Directed by Morad Mostafa the short drama, tells the story of a Sudanese henna painter living in Egypt, who gets caught up in the middle as they prepare a bride for her wedding.
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‘So What if the Goats Die?’. Director by Moroccan film maker Sofia Alaoui, the short film is about a young shepherd who goes to find food in the next village for his cattle in between the snowcapped atlas mountains . He encounters a supernatural phenomenon at the village abandoned due to a strange event that has wreaked havoc on the lives of all believers.
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