Middle East Cinema Series Announces Fall 2016 Line-Up

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Nadi Cinema meets Wednesdays at 7 p.m. in the Hembree Auditorium.

From Turkey to Palestine, from Iran to India, Nadi Cinema introduces viewers to the storytelling and vision of filmmakers across North Africa and the Middle East. All films — classics, cult favorites, recent hits, comedies, tragedies, political thrillers, social commentaries, and romances, in black-white and living color — are subtitled in English.

The Nadi Cinema film series is hosted by Joel Gordon, professor of history; all screenings take place in the Hembree Auditorium, room 107E in the Agricultural Food and Life Science Building (AFLS), next to the Pat Walker Health Center on Maple Avenue. Screenings begin at 7 p.m. and are free and open to the public.

Sep 7: The Desert Ark (directed by Mohamed Chouikh, Algeria 1997)

A recasting of Romeo and Juliet set in the Algerian Desert. A forbidden inter‐clan romance threatens to destroy a tribal society. Can a mad Noah save them? Arabic w/English subtitles – 90 minutes

Sep 21: A Few Kilos of Dates for a Funeral (directed by Saman Salur, Iran 2006)

In this dark comedy from an award winning young director, three lonely men trapped in a village at the edge of nowhere dream of romance, each more impossible than the next. Farsi w/English subtitles – 76 minutes

Oct 12: Bethlehem (directed by Yuval Adler, Israel 2014)

A gripping "inside" look at the relationship between an Israeli undercover agent and a young Palestinian boy who has become his eyes and ears in the West Bank. Arabic & Hebrew w/English subtitles – 99 minutes

Oct 26: Hell's Ground (directed by Omar Khan, Pakistan 2007)

A Halloween fright‐night special: A group of friends driving to a rock concert make a fateful wrong turn in search of a shortcut down a backcountry road. Urdu w/English subtitles – 77 minutes

Nov 9: Timbuktu (directed by Abderrahmane Sissako, Mali 2014)

A rare, dispassionate and stunning look at a society living under ISIS, here the savannah of Mali, now facing new laws, traditions and restrictions. Nominated as best foreign language film. Arabic‐Berber‐French w/English subtitles – 96 minutes

Nov 30: Fallen Angels Paradise (directed by Ossama Fawzi, Egypt 2000)

Based on story by famed Brazilian author Jorge Amado — a homeless man's friends kidnap his corpse and take him on a last, riotous tour of their favorite Cairo haunts. Arabic w/English subtitles – 90 minutes

All six film screenings are free and open to the public, and all are subtitled in English. Nadi Cinema is sponsored by the King Fahd Center for Middle East Studies in the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences.

For film synopses, trailers and more information, follow the King Fahd Center on Facebook and Twitter.

About the King Fahd Center for Middle East Studies: The King Fahd Center for Middle East Studies is an academic and research unit in the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Arkansas. An interdisciplinary and interdepartmental area studies center that offers diverse cultural, intellectual, and educational opportunities for the University of Arkansas community, the Center promotes research and teaching in interdisciplinary Middle East studies.  The Center offers an undergraduate major in Middle East Studies through the Middle East Studies (MEST) Program and supports graduate studies in related departments with graduate assistantships, as well as summer language study, conference travel, and field research grants, and teaching and research by visiting scholars from affiliated universities and programs.  More information about the King Fahd Center can be found at http://mest.uark.edu.  For ongoing news, follow the Center on Facebook and Twitter.