The Fall 2006 Season of CinemaEast
Presented by ArteEast, the Department of Middle Eastern & Islamic Studies and the Kevorkian Center at New York University

September 16 – November 8, 2006
Cantor Film Center - New York University
36 East 8th Street NYC

Box office opens 30 minutes prior to screening

Underexposure by Oday Rasheed. Iraq/Germany, 2005, 74 min, Digibeta.
US Premiere

Presented in partnership with Lower Manhattan Cultural Council’s summit What Comes After: Cities, Art & Recovery, The Kevorkian Center, NYU, The American Academic Research Institute in Iraq, and the Tribeca Film Institute.

Heralded as, "Iraq's first uncensored feature film in over a decade" and "the first film made since the start of the current Iraqi war," Oday Rasheed's Underexposure powerfully addresses the simultaneous responsibility and uncertainty of bearing witness to crisis and a testament to the power of art in the face of overwhelming tragedy. He presents a cast of characters riddled with both hopelessness and promise: a determined filmmaker working with only expired film, an eloquent poet weak with cancer, a wounded soldier wrapped in bandages and prayers but on the brink of death, an old man full of memories of Baghdad that are now only nostalgia, and most importantly, a city in rubble still filled with desire, compassion and perseverance. The stories of these fictional characters are woven together and set into real footage of the landscape of war-torn Iraq, resulting in a gripping view of the symbolic and the experienced realities of contemporary Iraqis. In Arabic w/English subtitles.

Followed by a conversation with Sinan Antoon, Professor of Arabic Literature at Gallatin School, NYU

A Commemorative Tribute to the Late Prominent Scholar Edward Said

Presented in collaboration with the Kevorkian Center, NYU
Screening to be held at the Kevorkian Center
Free and Open to the Public. Seating is very limited and available on a first come, first served basis

Out of Place: Memories of Edward Said by Makoto Sato. Japan/Palestine, 2005, 140 min, VHS

Beginning after Edward Said's untimely death in 2003, director Makoto Sato summons the aura that surrounds the man to trace a path through the broad and diverse scope of his legacy. From the convergence of his family's anecdotes, his colleagues' testimonies, home movies of his childhood, and the places and spaces of his life a portrait emerges of Edward Said that says as much about the current state of the issues he brought to the forefront of the Western consciousness as it does about the forces that shaped him. Out of Place serves as a powerful testament to the continuing importance of Said, the Palestinian-born intellectual, whose influential writings on literature, music and history were eclipsed only by his revolutionary role as a voice for the Palestinian people and for all exiles. In Arabic & English w/English subtitles.

Avenge But One of My Two Eyes by Avi Mograbi. Israel/France, 2005, 100 min, Digibeta

Israeli director Avi Mograbi is mostly known for his scathing critique of the Israeli state and his view of the growing violence of Israeli society. In his latest film, Mograbi probes the continuous religious and secular cult of Samson and Massada in Israeli society, venerating death over domination. Yet, as the second Intifada is raging, the Palestinians are constantly humiliated by the Israeli army – peasants are kept from plowing their fields, children on their way back from school are stranded at checkpoints for hours, an old woman can't even go back home – these people voice their anger and despair, just as the Hebrews did with the Romans or Samson with the Philistines. In Hebrew and Arabic and English w/English subtitles.

Followed by a conversation between director Avi Mograbi and Bashir Abu-Manneh (Barnard College)

Sneak preview co-sponsored by the New York Turkish Film Festival, October 20-28, 2006. For more details visit www.moonandstarsprojects.org

Anlat Istanbul by Selim Demirdelen, Kundret Sabanci, Umit Unal and Yücel Yolcu. Turkey, 2005, 99 min, 35 mm.
New York Premiere

Anlat Istanbul is a modern day fairytale replete with wit, wonder, and characters who, in classic fairytale fashion, are brimming with oddities that reveal their humanity. Leading us through this adventure is an affable gypsy clarinetist cum Pied Piper, who traverses the rarely seen corners of an Istanbul night, gathering his band of luckless eccentrics and hopeful dreamers. These unlikely characters’ lives become part of an intertwined chain of events sparked by the murder of a mob boss. Anlat Istanbul is colorful and intricately crafted both as a film and a story. Ultimately, it leaves us with a set of morals as simple as a child's story and as complex as humanity itself, reminding us of the folly of greed, the fortune of friendship and the promise of imagination. In Turkish w/English subtitles.

Post-screening discussion with Zeynep Dadak (NYU/Altyazi Film Magazine) and Bilge Ebiri (Film Critic, NYC)

Co-sponsored by the Persian Arts Festival

MAXX by Saman Moghadam. Iran, 2005, 110 min, 35 mm. New York Premiere

A smash hit in Iran, MAXX is a delightful musical comedy starring a cast of fresh faces, including Farhad Ayish in the title role. In this hilarious tale of mistaken identity, Maxx, a performer in a Los Angeles nightclub, receives an invitation to participate in a musical festival in Tehran. Upon arriving in Iran, Maxx is astounded by the warm welcome and the many invitations he receives to important cultural events. Little does he know that his invitation was originally intended for a prominent symphony conductor with a similar name. When authorities in Tehran discover Maxx is a rapper, chaos erupts. In Persian w/English subtitles.

Post-screening discussion with documentary producer Pershang Vaziri (NYU)

Cow and Company by Mouzahem Yahia. Algeria, 2005, 15 min, BetaSP
US Premiere

While transporting jugs of milk for sale in the big city, a farmer’s car breaks down. The local mechanic takes advantage of his ignorance and swindles the poor farmer out of his milk. A biting comedy of comeuppance. In Arabic w/English subtitles.

The Deceased by Rachid el-Ouaili . Morocco, 2006, 12 min, BetaSP
US Premiere

Members of the family are gathered to mourn the death of a loved one. One by one, they all step up to the camera, giving their opinions of the deceased and his widow, providing a humorous look at Moroccan society and traditions. In Arabic w/English subtitles.

Unlike the Others by Amir Ramses. Egypt, 2005, 13 min, BetaSP
US Premiere

An Algerian woman learns the secrets of her Egyptian friend, a gay man dying of AIDS, after he is thrown out of a Cairene hospital. In Arabic w/English subtitles.

Waves by Belmin Söylemez. Turkey, 2001, 18 min, BetaSP
New York Premiere

If you walk along the Bosphorus in Istanbul during the summer, you will come across scores of young boys jumping and pushing each other into the sea, despite the strong currents and pollution. Waves is a film about seeing the sea for the first time and learning to swim in the deep waters of the Bosphorus. Diving into the unknown, into the city, and perhaps into life itself. In Turkish w/English subtitles.

Transit by Bani Khoshnoudi. France, 2004, 30 min, BetaSP

On the road to England, Arya, a young Afghan man, crosses Europe's borders with other exiles. Near Italy he is separated from the group and sent by smugglers towards Paris where he is placed in a small "transit" room. This is where Arya meets Khorshid, a young woman who has lost her family on the road and now lives victim to the desires of the smugglers. In Persian w/English subtitles.

Post-screening discussion with director Bani Khoshnoudi

Cinema East is a collaborative project of ArteEast, Inc., the Department of Middle Eastern & Islamic Studies and the Kevorkian Center at NYU. This program is supported in part by the New York State Council on the Arts and New York City’s Department of Cultural Affairs. It is sponsored by The American Academic Research Institute in Iraq. Additional support is provided by Lower Manhattan Cultural Council Tribeca Film Institute, the Persian Arts Festival, and The Moon and Stars Project.