The MENA Programme An initative by: Funded by:

The MENA Programme 2012-2014 An initative by: Funded by:

CONTENT THE MENA PROGRAMME 2012-2014 1 FINISHED FILMS AMAL 8 FISH KILLED TWICE 9 FREEDOM FIELDS 10 GAYE EL ZAMAN 11 HALFWAY 12 I AM A SCRIPT GIRL 13 MOTHER OF THE UNBORN 14 ROOM FOR A MAN 15 THE CITY WILL PURSUE YOU 16 Rand Beiruty, Halfway

LONGDATEDRESULTS:PROGRESS,FINISHEDFILMS,PREMIERES&AWARDS MotheroftheUnborn(MENA2012)byNadineSalibfromEgypthaditsworldpremiereattheAbuDhabi FilmFestival2014andwontheFIPRESCIAwardforBestDocumentary!!Thiscompellingfeaturelengthdoc furthermorescreenedatidfainthecompetitionforbestfirstappearanceandis thewinnerofthe2014 PeterWintonickSpecialJuryAwardforFirstAppearance! The City Will Pursue You (MENA 2012) by Ahmed Nabil from Egyptwas among the eight final projects chosentoparticipateinthecif2014(cairoindustryforum),aneventthattakesplaceparalleltothecairo International Film Festival. A 90 minutes screening of the rough cut was presented to cinema experts including editing consultants andproducers. The plan is to finish thepostproduction by February 2015.. Thisincludesthefinaleditingphase,thesoundmix,musicandcoloring. AgoodexamplethatnetworkingiskeytofindingprofessionalpartnersforyourprojectisMakingSex(a.k.a FAPFAP/MENA2012) )byjoweharfouchefromlebanon.mostafayoussef,alsoaparticipantofmena 2012cameonboardastheproduceroftheprojectandadditionally,theymettheircoproductionpartners ChristianPoppandJeanBoué(DOCDAYSProductions,Berlin)inLeipzigwhileattendingtheDocumentary CampusLeipzigNetworkingDays.ThefilmwasalsonominatedfortheRobertBoschStiftungFilmPrizefor ArabGermancoproductionin2014. ElMedestansi(MENA2013)byHamzaOunifromTunisiawasselectedtorepresentTunisiaatTAKMILpart of the 25th edition of the Carthage Film Festival 2014. Through TAKMIL, rough cuts are selected to be viewedbyaninternationaljuryofprofessionalsfromthefilmindustry.directorshavetheopportunityto discussanddefendtheirwork.prizesareawardedbythejuryattheendofthefestival. Amal(MENA2014)byMohamedSiamwasawardedtheRobertBoschStiftungFilmPrizeforInternational Cooperation between young German and Arab filmmakers in the category documenary, worth up to 70,000Euros.Jurystatement:Foritsfreshness,intimacyanddynamicapproachshowingthepowerofa marginalizedyoungwomaninegyptiansocietytodayandtheopennessofthedirectortothesuddenturns historyandprivatelivescantake,theprizegoestoamal. BENEFITSOFTHETRAINING The knowledge gained at the MENA workshops is added value for other film projects. Thiscanc be seen whenfollowingthecareersofthemenaalumniwhosuccessfullypresentotherfilmsatfestivalsaroundthe world. TakeforexampleHamzaOuniwhoreceivedtheSparkasseLeipzigMediaFoundation stalentdoveatdok Leipzig 2014: The international jury for young cinema at the 57th International Leipzig Festival for DocumentaryandAnimatedFilmchosetohonorHamzaOuni(Tunisia/UnitedArabEmirates)andhisfilmEl GortwiththeSparkasseLeipzigMediaFoundation s TalentDove in2014.themediafoundationendows the TalentDove with10,000eurosinstartupfundingforthewinner snextfilmproject. OrAhmedNourfromEgypt(MENA2012)whoscreenedWaveshisfeaturelengthdocate.g.theDubaiFilm Festival,theSanSebastianFilmFestivalorintheDocYoungCinemaCompetitionofDOKLeipzig2014. DocumentaryCampuse.V. Page4

Mohamed Siam, Amal Amal World Premiere & Opening Film IDFA 2017 Lussas Vision du Réel Göteborg Festival CPH:DOX Hot Docs Karlovy Vary Int. Film Festival DOK.fest München AfriDocs Prize Sheffield Jury Prize FidaDoc Award Robert Bosch Film Prize Thessaloniki Docs- In-Progress Award Amal is 14 years old when she ends up on Tahrir Square during the Egyptian revolution, after the death of her boyfriend in the Port Said Stadium riot. During the protests, she is beaten by police and dragged across the square by her hair. This coming-of-age film follows her over the years after the revolution. As the film cuts between the unfolding current events and Amal s rapidly changing life and appearance, we see her searching for her own identity in a country in transition. Amal is fiery and fearless, sinking her teeth into the protests and constantly lecturing her mother, who works as a judge. A girl among men, she also has to fight for respect and the right to take part, both in the street and in the rest of her life. In Egypt, even for a young woman like Amal - her name means hope - the choices open to her for her future are limited. Director s Biography Siam is a Member of The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences - The Oscars. His film WHOSE COUNTRY? was shown in NYFF, Karlovy Vary, Vision du Réel and Journées Cinématographiques de Carthage where he won Best Cinematography. His film AMAL, 2017 IDFA and Lussas Opening film won the Sheffield Jury Prize and FidaDoc Award and went to Göteborg, CPH:Dox, Visions du Réel, Hot Docs, and was sold worldwide. He is an alumnus of Sundance Labs, IDFA Academy, La Fabrique des Cinémas du Monde in Cannes Film Festival. He won the Robert Bosch Film Prize, the AfriDocs Prize at Durban FilmMart and Thessaloniki Docs-In-Progress award. He s a jury member at Karlovy Vary, Göteborg Film Festivals, IDFA Bertha Fund and Hot Docs among others. CREDITS Director Mohamed Siam Production Myriam Sassine for Abbout Productions & Mohamed Siam for ArtKhana Executive Producer Talal Al-Muhanna, Bruni Burres Coproduction Andolfi, Barentsfilm As Good Company Pictures Cinematography Mohamed Siam Country Egypt MENA Year 2014 Release Date 2017 Duration 83 mins Documentary Campus e.v. Page 8

Ahmed Fawzi Saleh, Fish Killed Twice Fish killed twice The film traces the story of two enthusiastic football fans who suddenly find themselves charged and sentenced to death for their alleged participation in murdering Al-Ahly fans during the famous massacre that took place at Port Said stadium. This sentence could be put into effect within a day, a month or a year. Apparently, their lives might seem normal; spending their time in their houses or in coffee shops with friends; yet if go a little deeper in their lives you can realize that nothing is normal at all. Director s Biography Postproduction Award at Ismailia Int. Film Festival: Coproduction Platform Ahmed Fawzi Saleh is a director and a human rights activist. Born in Alexandria, Saleh was raised in Port Said and holds a degree in History from Suez Canal University. He then studied screenwriting at the High Cinema Institute (2009). As a researcher and a scriptwriter, he took part in several documentaries. He directed an experimental short film, MOCHA, then he directed his documentary LIVING SKIN (2010) that screened in several international film festivals and received 7 awards. Grant worth $15.000 of production services provided by Aroma Company CREDITS Director Ahmed Fawzi Saleh Producers Haut les Mains Productions Country Egypt MENA Year 2014 Status In Post-Production Documentary Campus e.v. Page 9

Naziha Arebi, Freedom Fields Freedom Fields World Premiere TIFF 2018 IDFA 2018 Emboldened by the Arab Spring, the Libyan women s soccer team is dreaming of playing their first international game. However, their sport faces huge opposition in Libya; so when news of a possible cap is released, media attention ends up playing in the hands of those who want to thwart their ambitions. With broad and intimate access, three players coming from different social and political backgrounds are being followed on and off the field. Over the course of several years we witness their repetitive attempts at getting support to be able to play and, as the country descends into civil war, their fight to reinvent their lives on a daily basis when uncertainty has become a routine. With conservative forces in society getting in the way, even in more moderate circles the women must constantly fight for room to maneuver, both in public and private life. As they keep pursuing their dream, they experience disillusionment and seize new opportunities and almost accidentally find their calling as role models for a new generation of girls. Director s biography A British-Libyan artist and filmmaker, Naziha returned to Libya during the revolution. Coming from a theatre background, Naziha works at the cross section between cinema and activism, producing shorts for Oxfam, UN Women, Hivos, Al Jazeera, and BBC. Her photographic work has been published online, in print, and exhibited internationally. She regularly works as a cinematographer in the MENA region, and is currently working on two feature documentaries in Libya. Naziha is also a HotDocs Blue Ice Fund and a Sundance Lab fellow. Documentary Campus e.v. Page 10 CREDITS Director Naziha Arebi Production Flore Cosquer / SDI Productions Ltd, Naziha Arebi for Huna Productions Executive producer Noe Mendelle for SDI Productions Ltd, Sonja Henrici for SDI Productions Ltd, Leslie Finlay for Creative Scotland Cinematography Naziha Arebi World Sales Wide House Country Lybia MENA Year 2013 Release Date 2018 Duration 99 mins

Dina Hamza, Gaye El Zaman Gaye El Zaman Winner Radwan El Kashef Prize Luxor African Film Festival 2015 Independent Shabab Foundation Prize Best Artistic Achievement Dina, a young filmmaker, feels alone after the death of her father, Mohamed Hamza, a renowned poet who wrote songs for the biggest of Arab stars, the epic Abdel Halim Hafez. In his desk, Dina finds clippings about the young women who committed suicide on the day of Halim s death in 1977 a story unknown to her. The despair and grief they must have felt echo her own feelings regarding her father s death. But why exactly did they take their own lives? Dina decides to find out more about these young women and decipher their motivations, leading her on a journey into her father s past. Through these memories, she reconstructs his life and offers a glimpse of Egypt s history from the 1950s until the late 1970s. She comes to understand that Hamza s lyrics and Halim s voice served as the mouthpiece of this era of dreams and the ideals of the 1952 Revolution. Director s Biography Dina debuted as a director with her short KOHL, shown at the Avignon Film Festival. Her documentary, VISION was screened at the CPH:DOX, and her next documentary VOICES was shown at the Vienna Film Festival and went on to win the Saad Nadim Documentary Film Award at the Egyptian National Film Festival. In 2010, her documentary BUT THERE S SOMETHING ELSE MISSING won an honorary prize at the Rotterdam Film Festival. Dina directed IN/OUT OF THE ROOM, a film about Aashmawy, a public executioner. The film was screened in the Official Competition Category at the Abu Dhabi Film Festival and won the first prize at the Leqaa el Soura. CREDITS Director Dina Hamza Producers Marianne Khoury Ida Ven Bruusgaard Misr International Film Cnematography Mohamed Abdel Raouf Country Egypt, Norway MENA Year 2012 Release Date 2016 Duration 90 mins Winner Special Prize Kazan Int. Film Festival 2015 Documentary Campus e.v. Page 11

Rand Beiruty, Halfway Halfway Short Film Week Regensburg 2018 Film Fest Dresden 2018 Ismailia International Film Festival 2018 International Documentary & Short Film Festival of Kerala 2018 An abstraction of the journey Abu Haidar s family took upon themselves when they flew their own war-torn country to reach a safe haven. Halfway starts with a still picture of Aleppo. A transition of the real image into an animated picture occurs. The animation afterward recounts through facebook message the journey of a Syrian family, highlighting their state of being stuck, halfway. Director s Biography Rand Beiruty is a Jordanian filmmaker based between Amman and Berlin. After obtaining her MA degree in Media Arts from Bauhaus University Weimar, Beiruty pursued a practice-based Ph.D. from the Film University Babelsberg KONRAD WOLF. She is an alumna of Berlinale Talents, Beirut Talents, Film Leader Incubator Asia, Documentary Campus and Locarno Documentary Summer School. She was nominated for the Robert Bosch co-production Film Prize in 2016 and 2018. Beiruty won the ESP Jury Prize for the International Script Pitch at Interfilm Berlin 2016 for her short animation Encountering Samir and the Tribeca Film Institute IF/Then Pitch Competition at CPH:DOX 2017 for her short documentary NUDAR. CREDITS Director Rand Beiruty Country Jordan MENA Year 2014 Release Date 2017 Duration 4 mins Documentary Campus e.v. Page 12

Mina Nabil, I am a Script Girl I am a Script Girl The Cell Postproduction Grant US Embassy Postproduction Grant Hot Docs Blue Ice Fund Robert Bosch Foundation Prize In a male-dominated industry, she was the ultimate career woman. I AM A SCRIPT GIRL is a close-up and personal examination of the life, challenges, and career of the unstoppable Sylvette Baudrot. She s a spunky 90-year-old woman, who has worked for 70 years in the film industry. Director s Biography Mina Nabil is a director, cinematographer and Producer from Egypt who holds a Bachelor degree in Cinema Production. He is one of the co-founders of Fig Leaf Studios Inc. which is also located in Alexandria. He has ten years of experience in filmmaking and has directed several shorts films which attended many film festivals. His latest project was nominated for the Robert Bosch Stiftung film Prize at Berlinale in 2016. He is active in a variety of visual and cinematographic languages including relying on the frame instead of the dialogue to reach the mysterious cinematic enigma. Mina is mentoring a one-year documentary workshop for its first time in Alexandria, called Cinedelta, which gives the students the opportunities the experience to start documentary filmmaking in a professionally. It is followed by a film festival and separate screening all over the delta region in Egypt. CREDITS Director Mina Nabil Producers Fig Leaf Studios Country Egypt MENA Year 2014 Status In post-production Documentary Campus e.v. Page 13

Nadine Salib, Mother of the Unborn Mother of the Unborn Abu Dhabi Film Festival 2014 IDFA 2014 Thessaloniki Documentary Festival 2015 Arabian Film Days Oslo 2015 Sheffield Doc/Fest 2015 In Hanan s opinion, The best thing in the world is God giving you a baby and a kind husband. She has the kind husband, but not yet the baby. This Egyptian woman has been trying to become a mother for 12 years now. According to the doctor, her womb is too narrow, and she has undergone three unsuccessful operations to enlarge it. Known in the village as mother of the unborn, Hanan is also willing to try less orthodox medical options. In fact, she has tried everything the small community rooted in ritual, magic and superstition has to offer. She crossed the railroad tracks seven times just before a train passed, an experience almost as terrifying as the time she had to step over a huge snake. During conversations with family members and villagers, Hanan is funny, levelheaded and hopeful, but her sorrow and bitterness are revealed in personal, candid interviews. Against the backdrop of the sandy village in the south of Egypt, other villagers, including the midwife, the gravedigger and an expectant mother, give their opinions of Hanan s misfortune and talk about marriage, new life, miscarriages and mourning. Director s Biography Born in Egypt in 1984, Nadine Salib graduated from film school in 2006. She started her career as an assistant director in commercials and then headed to the independent field in the year 2009. In 2011, she joined filmmaking workshops where she directed her first short documentary DAWN, which won the second prize in the Baghdad International Film Festival and the first prize at the 12th Goethe Independent Film Festival. MOTHER OF THE UNBORN is her first feature-length documentary for which she was supported by the IDFA s Bertha Fund, the Arab Documentary Film Program of the Arab Fund for Arts and Culture and Hot Docs Blue Ice. CREDITS Director Nadine Salib Production Maartje Alders, Hassala Films Coproduction Albatrik Art Production and Cinema Services Cinematography Sara Yahia Country Egypt MENA Year 2012 Release Date 2014 Duration 85 mins Documentary Campus e.v. Page 14

Anthony Chidiac, Room for a Man Room for a Man Montréal RIDM Grand Prize 2017 Queer Lisboa Grand Prize 2017 Isf-Hamburg Grand Prize 2017 Thessaloniki Documentary Festival 2018 Sheffield Doc/Fest & IDFA 2018 The first thing Anthony Chidiac says about himself is that life scares him, and he is paralyzed by fear. He lives with his mother, a French teacher, in Beirut, and rarely leaves the house. His home is a refuge, but in some respects also a prison. To Chidiac, the outside world feels like a hostile environment, for one thing because he s gay. This is something his own family also refuses to accept, as we learn from conversations with his mother and uncle. His mom wanted him to be a notary, so he would earn a lot of money and become a real man. But that s not how he sees himself. In carefully composed shots of his immediate surroundings, reflections on moments in his life, conversations with the Syrian builders who are renovating his house, and a trip with his father to Argentina, Chidiac constructs an intriguing self-portrait. Insecure as he might be about his own identity, his documentary debut is remarkably self-assured. Director s Biography Born in Beirut in 1988, Anthony Chidiac holds a BA in Audiovisual Studies. His diploma short film KFARHANEM S INN was screened on MTV Lebanon and on BBC Arabia. In 2013, he co-wrote (with Selim Mourad) and directed his first medium-length fiction film MAMAN, NON, MERCI, screened in various European and Arab film festivals. His first feature documentary, ROOM FOR A MAN, was one of the twelve films selected for the 2017 International Feature Competition at RIDM in Montreal and was awarded the Grand Prize. CREDITS Director Anthony Chidiac Production Carole Abboud,c.cam production Coproduction Linked Productions Cinematography Anthony Chidiac Country Lebanon MENA Year 2013 Release Date 2017 Duration 77 mins Documentary Campus e.v. Page 15

Ahmed Nabil, The City will pursue you The City will pursue you Ismailia International Film Festival 2017 Geothe Film Week 2018 Cairo Cinema Days 2018 French Institute of Alexandria 2018 In Alexandria, Ossama follows stories of old buildings being demolished and historical landmarks disappearing. He encounters different characters recounting their connections to certain places in the city that are on the verge of vanishing. Some are quite nostalgic and take the matter as a sign of the city s downfall, while others are more practical. Director s Biography Ahmed Nabil was born in Alexandria in 1984. He has both Egyptian and French citizenships. With an interest in filmmaking and drawing, he joined the faculty of fine arts and got his BFA in oil painting in 2006. He studied filmmaking under Islam El Azzazi in the Jesuits Cultural Center of Alexandria. Ahmed produced his first documentary THE TRIP in 2009 and joined a number of workshops with acclaimed filmmakers and artists. His short documentary 17 FOUAD STREET won four prizes in Egypt and Spain. His first feature documentary THE CITY WILL PURSUE YOU premiered in the 19th Ismailia International Film Festival long documentary competition in 2017. CREDITS Director Ahmed Nabil Producers Rufy s Films With the support of The British Council in Cairo Country Egypt MENA Year 2012 Release Date 2017 Duration 70 mins Documentary Campus e.v. Page 16