Arab Film Festival Australia
Project partner: Information and Cultural Exchange (ICE) in NSW
Location: In 2009, the festival will be held in Sydney, Brisbane, Canberra, Melbourne and Adelaide
Timeline: 2009 - 2011
http://arabfilmfestival.com.au/
The project
Arab Film Festival Australia includes an Annual Festival (held in Sydney), forums and workshops, and a National Touring Festival.
The festival will feature local and international films made by Arabic-speaking filmmakers from a range of backgrounds, reflecting the diversity of identities and experiences within the Arab world and communities within the diaspora.
The Arab Film Festival Australia aims to:
- showcase stories from diverse Arabic-speaking cultures to broad Australian audiences that reflect the complexity and diversity of Arab communities and experiences (including demystifying the concept that ‘Arab’ means the same as ‘Muslim’)
- address the (mis)representations of Arab culture through film by providing critical spaces to dialogue - by presenting alternative representations of Arab cultures, subjects and narratives; and by supporting the development and presentation of new screen-based work by Arab-Australians
- improve and create audiences for domestic Arab-Australian filmmakers and to generate a sense of confidence that there will be a platform for the quality work they produce
- show some films that explore issues about young Arabic identity within diasporas in non-Arabic countries
Update
- Arab Film Festival Australia will be launched in Sydney on 2 July 2009
- The Sydney festival will be held at the Riverside Theatres, Parramatta from 2 - 5 July 2009 – click here to see the festival program
- Click here to find out more about the films being screened during the Sydney festival
- Huriyya and Her Sisters will be launched on 5 July 2009 at the Arab Film Festival Australia in Sydney as part of the Dreaming of 1001 Rights forum
- Strategic partnerships are currently being developed with key agencies/venues across Australia to host and screen the National Touring Festival to new audiences
- Shortly, the selection of films will be programmed for the 2009 National Touring Festival – the tour will be launched in Sydney CBD and then visit Brisbane, Canberra, Melbourne and Adelaide later this year – and will include film screenings, discussions and forums
- It is anticipated that in subsequent years, the National Touring Festival will expand to more states/territories in Australia
