"Arab Women Make Movies" is the title of a film festival being held on campus Friday and Saturday, Feb. 20-21. It is just one of several cinematic celebrations of foreign cultures taking place on campus in upcoming weeks.
Politics, family relationships and the quest for cultural and religious identity are among the themes explored in the films being screened as part of "Arab Women Make Movies." The series, presented by the department of Near Eastern languages and civilizations, includes works in a variety of cinematic styles in which Arab women speak for themselves, defining their issues and reflecting on their lives.
The series, which is free and open to the public, is cosponsored by the African and African-American, film and women's studies programs; the French department; the Council on Middle East Studies; the Kempf Memorial Fund; the Whitney Humanities Center; and the Yale Center for International and Area Studies (YCIAS).
The series begins on Friday with the screening of "A Door to the Sky" 7:30-9:30 p.m. in the Whitney Humanities Center, 53 Wall St. The film tells the story of a Moroccan émigré who returns from Paris to visit her dying father and subsequently begins a quest to preserve her cultural and religious identity.
Saturday's program will be held in the McDougal Graduate Student Center, Rm. 119, Hall of Graduate Studies, 320 York St. The schedule follows: 9-11 a.m. -- "The Silence of the Palace," an account of women's lives in Tunisia during the 1950s; 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. -- "Days of Democracy," a documentary about female candidates in the 1995 elections of the people's assembly in Egypt; 2-3 p.m. -- "Hanan Ashrawi: A Woman of Her Time," a review of the recent stages of Palestinian nationalism through a profile of the life of a Palestinian spokesperson; 3-3:35 p.m. -- "The Song of Umm Dalaila," the story of the struggle of the Sahrawi people and the leadership role women play in this struggle; and 3:40-4 p.m. -- "A Measure of Distance," the tale of a Palestinian mother and daughter who meet during a family reunion in war-torn Lebanon. The series will conclude with a panel discussion at 4 p.m.
Japanese "Outsiders"
Homosexuality, incest, illegitimacy, racism and mental illness are among the themes explored in the series "Outsiders," which features films about characters and issues that are outside of the mainstream of Japanese society. The series, which is sponsored by the Council on East Asian Studies, part of YCIAS, began on Feb. 12 and will continue through April 23. All of the screenings are held at
7 p.m. on Thursdays in the Whitney Humanities Center, 53 Wall St., and are open to the public free of charge.
The schedule follows: Feb. 19 -- "Sharaku," about a mysterious 18th-century woodblock artist who created all of his nearly 140 works in one 10-month period and then vanished; March 5 -- "Doubles: Japan and America's Intercultural Children," about the challenges faced by
the offspring of Japanese women and American soldiers who fought during World War II (a talk by the film's director, Regge Life, will precede the screening at 6 p.m.); March 26 -- "Okaeri (Welcome Home)," detailing the life of a seemingly normal young couple as the wife gradually becomes a schizophrenic; April 2 -- "Dear Summer Sister," exploring the theme of incest through the tale of a teenager who searches for a half-brother she has never met; April 9 -- "Okoge," about a young woman and her relationship with a gay couple; April 16 -- "Monkeys in Paradise (Koraku Zaru)," an absurdist drama about the communication gap between members of a vacationing family; and April 23 -- "Kikuchi (Tokyo Cleaning Man)," the story of a laundromat worker who discovers a new employee is living with a woman he has a secret crush on (a talk by director Kenchi Iwamoto will precede the film at
6 p.m.)
"Visions of Africa"
"Flame," described as one of the most controversial films ever made in Africa, will be shown on Feb. 26 as part of "Visions of Africa: Contemporary African Cinema." The Thursday-evening series, which began on Jan. 29, is sponsored by the Council on African Studies and PIER-African studies, both part of YCIAS.
A tribute to the women fighters in the Zimbabwean liberation struggle, "Flame" was seized by that nation's police on the grounds that it was both subversive and pornographic. Like the other films in this series, it will be screened at 7 p.m. in the Luce Hall auditorium, 34 Hillhouse Ave. Admission is free, and the public is invited.
The remaining films in the series are: March 26 -- "Taafe Fanga (Skirt Power)," a comedy about sexual politics in an 18th-century Dogon village in Mali; April 9 -- "Clando," exploring the dilemma faced by a man who must decide between staying and working for change in the autocratic regime in his home country of Cameroon or seeking his fortune abroad; and April 16 -- "Dakan (Destiny)," a story about two men whose love for each other destines them to lose their families and cultural identity.