NO VISA REQUIRED: Films from the Middle East.
The artistry, craft and magic of cinema shows that what is shared between people in their everyday lives, across the world, across wars and violence, is far greater than what makes for difference. NO VISA REQUIRED showcases the richness and complexity of the Middle East, giving the public a new lens through which to view this part of the world.

Ticket prices:
general public: $10, students (with valid ID) and senior citizens: $8

To purchase tickets , visit www.tribecafilminstitute.org or call 212.941-3890 or 718.832.6564

Cantor Film Center
New York University 36 East 8th Street New York City

All screenings begin at 6:30 PM.
Box office opens 30 minutes prior to screening.

Saturday, Sept. 24 6:30 p.m.

Happy Birthday Mr. Mograbi (Israel, 1999, 77 min, DigiBeta)
Director: Avi Mograbi
In this thought-provoking and well-orchestrated mockumentary, Mr. Mograbi has accepted assignments to produce two films: one celebrating 50 years of Israeli independence and another chronicling the 50-year occupation of Palestinian land. Both projects are due on the director’s birthday. Mr. Mograbi also starts building a house but discovers a discrepancy in the borders of his land – which also must be resolved by his birthday. As the three simultaneous deadlines approach, the film becomes an argument between its three stories, each trying to overcome the others in an intricate weave of frustrations and conflicting interests. This film plays out as a witty and poignant parable of Israeli/Palestinian politics. In Hebrew and Arabic with English subtitles.

Post-screening discussion with director Avi Mograbi and Livia Alexander, Executive Director, ArteEast.

Saturday, Oct. 8 6:30 p.m.

The Prince (Tunisia, 2004, 105 min, 35mm)
Director: Mohamed Zran
The Prince is the heartwarming and compelling tale of a flower shop vendor’s unrequited love for a beautiful bank manager who passes his stand one morning. They are worlds apart, but the candor of his love is unrelenting in its quest to conquer her disillusioned heart. This love story forms the focal point where the tapestry of everyday life in the capital city of Tunis unravels, disclosing the challenges and chasms that face Tunisians today with intelligence, humor and poignancy. In Arabic with English subtitles.

Post-screening discussion with director Mohamed Zran and Mourad Belhessan, Cultural Attache, Tunisian Embassy, Washington DC

Chronicle of a Disappearance

Happy Days in Palestine

Saturday, Oct. 22 6:30 p.m.

Chronicle of a Disappearance (Palestine/Israel, 1996, 88 min, 35mm)
Director: Elia Suleiman
The directorial debut of acclaimed writer/actor Suleiman, Chronicle of a Disappearance is a meditative search for what it means to be Palestinian. Constructed as a series of witty vignettes, some contemplative, others laden with satiric humor and critique, each expresses Suleiman’s emotions and state of mind as he observes daily life in Nazareth, Jerusalem, and outlying areas. Suleiman draws this psychological thread through scenes of a Palestinian actress struggling to find an apartment in West Jerusalem, the owner of the Holy Land souvenir shop preparing merchandise for incoming Japanese tourists, and a group of old women gossiping about their relatives, as he leads us on an articulate and evocative journey. In Arabic & Hebrew with English subtitles.

Preceded by:
Happy Days in Palestine (France, 1998, 13 min, MiniDV)
Director: Sylvain Roumette Writer: Fouad Elkoury
This film tells an often-forgotten story of Palestine, that of a pre-Israeli society happily living on its land. Using old photographs collected by the Arab Image Foundation and the testimonies of five women born in Palestine before 1948, the film recalls ordinary moments of life before the current history of violence and suffering. In Arabic and French with English subtitles.

Post-screening discussion with director Elia Suleiman and Peter Scarlet, Executive Director, Tribeca Film Festival.

6:30 p.m.Saturday, Nov.12

I Love Cinema (Egypt, 2004, 125 min, 35mm)
Director: Oussama Fawzi
“If I go to hell, will I see all the famous actors there?” So goes young, movie-mad Naïm’s hopeful logic in response to his strict father’s lectures on the evils of the cinema. But while he pines for onscreen exploits in 1966 Cairo, Naïm has plenty of drama to watch right at home: illicit courtships, his mother’s repressed desire to pursue her art, and his father’s crisis of faith when he becomes disillusioned with the Nasser regime’s failure to live up to its ideals. Fawzi’s occasionally explicit film is a hilarious and tender family portrait as well as a refined critique of rigid religiosity. In Arabic with English subtitles.

Post-screening discussion with director Oussama Fawzi and leading actress Leila Alawi

Saturday, Nov.196:30 p.m.

The Lizard (Iran, 2004, 110 min, 35 mm)
Director: Kamal Tabrizi
Now banned in Iran by clerics disgruntled by its impious slapstick, The Lizard has nonetheless become a smash hit (former reformist President Khatami allegedly arranged a private screening). In a brilliant comic set-up, a petty thief escapes prison by disguising himself as a mullah. Inevitably, he’s forced undercover for longer than expected and, while struggling with his unwieldy new wardrobe, finds himself becoming the revered leader of a small-town mosque. The result is a smart, sincere comment on contemporary Iran: biting and sardonic, but also surprisingly religious. In Farsi with English subtitles.

Post-screening discussion with Hamid Dabashi, Columbia University

NO VISA REQUIRED is made possible by the generous support of the Ford Foundation, with additional support from the Alan B. Slifka Foundation.