Calgary Arab Arts & Culture Society presents:

2017 Calgary Arab Film Nights Festival

May 11-14, 2017
Festival Hall, 1215 10 Ave SE (Inglewood), Calgary, AB
$30/day General Admission | $90 Weekend Pass | $25/day Students/Seniors

The 2017 Calgary Arab Film Nights is approaching, featuring Arabic movies!

Ticket prices include the evening's films plus reception with refreshments!

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THURSDAY MAY 11, 2017 - Arab-Canadian Film Night

"Things Arab Men Say" (Canada)
7:00 pm
Featuring special guest apperance by director Nisreen Baker!

"This documentary paints a picture of Arab men that is vastly different from what we’re accustomed to. In this antidote to mainstream-media depictions of Arabs as terrorists and extremists, we get to meet Jay, Ghassan and their friends, who gather at Jamal’s Eden Barber Shop to discuss politics, religion and family over a cut and a shave. Often funny, sometimes sad, this engaging film documents the challenges these men face integrating into Canadian life while preserving their identity and culture." - NFB

Featuring a Q&A with director Nisreen Baker after the film!

"Grassroots in Dry Lands" (Canada, Jordan, Israel, Palestine)
9:00 pm

"Grassroots in Dry Lands tells the story of three unconventional social workers united by a common vision that transcends the antagonisms between their countries. Nuha, from Nablus (Occupied Palestinian Territories), Talal, from East Amman (Jordan), and Amit, from Sderot (Israel) are empowering some of the region’s most disenfranchised, war-scarred communities in an effort to build a just and civil society." - NFB

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FRIDAY MAY 12, 2017 - Opening Night

"Tickling Giants" (Egypt, UK, USA)
7:00 pm
Skype-in Q&A with Bassem Youssef after the film!

"The Arab Spring in Egypt: From a dictator to free elections, back to a dictatorship. One comedy show united the country and tested the limits of free press. This is the story of Bassem Youssef, a cardiologist turned comedian, the Jon Stewart of Egypt, and his show 'The Show'." - Madeingermany

"Very Big Shot" (Lebanon)
9:50 pm

"Intending to smuggle drugs across the borders, a small-time Lebanese drug-dealer slyly manipulates public opinion with the help of an underrated filmmaker." - IMDB

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SATURDAY MAY 13, 2017 - Egyptian Night

"In the Last Days of the City" (Egypt)
7:00 pm

"Downtown Cairo, 2009. Khalid, a 35 year old filmmaker is struggling to make a film that captures the soul of his city while facing loss in his own life. With the help of his friends, who send him footage from their lives in Beirut, Baghdad and Berlin, he finds the strength to keep going through the difficulty and beauty of living IN THE LAST DAYS OF THE CITY." - IMDB

"Ali, the Goat, and Ibrahim" (Egypt)
10:00 pm

Ali believes his late girlfriend's soul has been reincarnated into a goat named Nada. Ibrahim is a depressed sound engineer who is tormented by the same phantom sounds heard by his mother and grandfather. Together, they travel across Egypt to Alexandria and Sinai, in an attempt to break their curses, embarking on a journey of self discovery and friendship.

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SUNDAY MAY 14, 2017 - Closing Night

"Yallah! Undergound" (Egypt, Lebanon, Palestine, Jordan, Israel)
6:00 pm
With special appearance by actor Zeid Hamdan!

"In a region full of tension, young artists in the Middle East have struggled for years to express themselves freely and to promote more liberal attitudes within their societies. During the Arab spring, like many others of this new Arab generation, local artists had high hopes for the future and took part in the protests. However, after years of turmoil and instability, young Arabs now have to challenge both old and new problems, being torn between feelings of disillusion and a vague hope for a better future. Yallah! Underground follows some of today's most important and progressive underground artists from Egypt, Lebanon, Palestine, Jordan and Israel through years of rapid change from 2009 to 2013." - IMDB

"Barakah Meets Barakah" (Saudi Arabia)
8:30 pm

"Saudi Arabia’s first rom-com features comedian and social-media superstar Hisham Fageeh as a mild-mannered civil servant who runs up against his society’s strict mores when he sets out to romance the outspoken daughter of a wealthy couple." - Toronto International Film Festival 

The Calgary Arab Arts and Culture Society is a non-denominational organization whose purpose is to contribute to Calgary’s thriving arts and cultural scene

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