Film Countries Archives: Saudi Arabia

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CineYouth Program

Far From Home

  Australia, Bahrain, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, United States     6 shorts | 71 minutes

Screenings & Events

Virtual Screening

Available to stream Mon, April 28 @ 12:00pm CT through Sun, May 4 @ 11:59pm CT for a 48-hour watch window.

Synopsis

Offered as a tribute to our roots, these sentimental and tender shorts lovingly consider identity and belonging. Containing stories of migration, disconnection from ancestry, and striving to fit in, this program addresses what it takes to feel at home in a complicated world.

Films in this program contain themes, images, and language that may not be suitable for all ages.

Films

A young Mexican man stands on a balcony surrounded by green fireworks

Don Chingón

Carlos Lerma | Chicago, Illinois | Age 22

A young Mexican immigrant searches his new city for a culinary cure to homesickness.

A teenage black girl stands in the back of a group of white dancers

The Spectacular Quiet

Sierra Buah | Colorado Springs, Colorado | Age 17

In this documentary, a young girl explores the complexity of her bi-racial identity through dance. Facing questions of belonging, self-acceptance, and identity, Sierra navigates growing up as one of few mixed-race people in her predominantly white community.

A married couple lay in bed next to each other not making eye contact

Mixed Signals

Zaid Sater | United Arab Emirates; Bahrain; Saudi Arabia; New York, New York | Age 22

A cross-cultural conversation around Western ideas of dating and love occurs when a married Arab immigrant ventures out on his first online date.

A barber holds a razor blade trimming his clients beard

Moroccan Haircut

Malik Terrab | Arlington, Virginia | Age 22

What do culture and hair have in common? They both have roots. In this clever essay film, a young man visits a barber shop hoping to reconnect with his heritage.

A mother and daughter sit across from each other at their kitchen table with folded hands

Housekeepers

Kaede Miyamura | Australia | Age 22

Translating is a difficult job; translating bad news to your mother is even harder. A daughter of a Japanese Immigrant finds herself in a tight spot in this melancholy film.

A Mexican teenager stands in front of a supermarket smiling

Volador

Miguel Angel Hernandez & Tessa Elizabeth Osborne | Mexico; Grand Rapids, Michigan | Age 19

Eighteen-year-old aspiring photographer Mateo begins to doubt his choice to immigrate to Michigan from Morella as he struggles to establish himself professionally. This charming and humorous narrative follows Mateo and a cast of lovable characters as he seeks guidance from his friends and reflects on the highs and low of following a dream.

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Two men sit on a planter in a city

To a Land Unknown

  Mahdi Fleifel

  United Kingdom, Palestine, France, Greece, Netherlands, Germany, Qatar, Saudi Arabia     105 minutes

Synopsis

Displaced Palestinian cousins Chatila and Reda are stuck in Athens. They live in a crowded group home with other migrants, and steal and save what they can to pay for fake passports that will take them to Germany. When Reda relapses into his addictions and spends all their savings, Chatila devises what seems like a foolproof smuggling operation to earn the money back fast. Then things go terribly awry, and the cousins must concoct an even more sinister scheme in order to save themselves and their families back home.

With an intimate and naturalistic lens on the cousins’ bond and shared dream of a better life, To a Land Unknown is a tightly drawn thriller that presents an audacious, moving testament to the dire circumstances faced by migrants in purgatory.

 Arabic, Greek, English with subtitles

Content Advisory

Screenings & Events

Media

Film Credits

  •   Geoff Arbourne, Mahdi Fleifel
  •   Mahdi Fleifel, Fyzal Boulifa, Jason McColgan
  •   Halim Sabbagh
  •   Thodoris Mihopoulos (GSC)
  •   Mahmood Bakri (Chatila), Aram Sabbagh (Reda), Angeliki Papoulia (Tatiana), Mohammad Alsurafa (Malik), Mouataz Alshalton (Abu Love), Mohammad Ghassan (Yasser), Monzer Reyahnah (Marwan)
  •   Nadah El Shazly
  •   Elisa Van Waeyenberge, François De Villers, Frank Barat, Sawsan Asfari
  •   Inside Out Films, Nakba Filmworks, Salaud Morisset, Salaud Morisset Deutschland, Homemade Films, Studio Ruba

Sponsors

With Support From

Logo: Chicago Palastine Film Festival - 128x100

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A group of girls dressed in pink sit on a riverbank looking out.

The Brink of Dreams Rafaat einy ll sama

  Nada Riyadh & Ayman El Amir

  Egypt, France, Denmark, Qatar, Saudi Arabia     101 minutes

Synopsis

In a small village in southern Egypt, a group of girls form a street theater troupe as both a creative outlet and a fearless act of defiance. Challenging the patriarchal norms of their conservative Coptic Christian community, the girls dream of becoming actresses, dancers, and singers. They take to the dusty roads of their town to enact short plays that offer provocative challenges to passersby, asking questions like why a girl cannot marry the boy she loves.

Shot over four years with extraordinary access to its subjects, Nada Riyadh and Ayman El Amir’s film follows these brave girls from adolescence to adulthood, charting the complex and myriad ways in which each must navigate growing up as they form romantic partnerships and  face the social demands of womanhood. As feminist empowerment and aspirational dreams collide with the sobering realities of life, The Brink of Dreams offers a poignant and absorbing coming-of-age story of female solidarity and youthful rebellion. Winner of the top documentary prize at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival.

 Arabic with subtitles

Screenings & Events

Media

Film Credits

  •   Ayman El Amir, Nada Riyadh, Marc Irmer, Claire Chassagne
  •   Nada Riyadh, Ayman El Amir
  •   Véronique Lagoarde-Ségot, Ahmed Magdy Morsy, Ayman El Amir, Nada Riyadh
  •   Dina El Zeneiny, Ahmed Ismail, Ayman El Amir
  •   Majda Masoud, Haidi Sameh, Monika Youssef, Marina Samir, Myriam Nassar, Lydia Haroun, Youstina Samir
  •   Ahmad El Sawy
  •   Felucca Films, Dolce Vita Films, Magma Films
  •   https://www.thepartysales.com/movie/the-brink-of-dreams/

Sponsors

Documentary Program Partner

Logo: WTTW (2019)

Documentary Program Patron

Cynthia Stone Raskin

Film Patron

Cynthia Stone Raskin

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CineYouth Program

Frames of Reference: Documentary

  Canada, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, United States     5 shorts | 53 minutes

Synopsis

These five incredible shorts function as a window into diverse forms of the human experience, highlighting courageous expressions of identity, examples of uplifting community, and insightful responses to common misconceptions.

Please note: Films in this program contain themes, images, and language that may not be suitable for all ages.

Films

A young woman gazes ahead with her hair draped over her eyes and her right hand clawed over her chest.

The Heel

Sofia S. Lomax | Connecticut | Age 22

Jules Daddio, also known as Skylar Grey, is an up-and-coming female wrestler from North Haven, Connecticut. Jules paints a picture of the professional wrestling ecosystem and grapples with the history of women’s progress in the sport.

A young man with a visual impairment closely inspects a clear mug of milk.

Blind Sighted

Mitch Davila Armendano | Colorado | Age 14

Mitch, Jaden, and Stevie, three young students with visual impairments who attend the Colorado School for the Deaf and Blind, detail common misconceptions and their struggles for accurate representation.

A red and white furry with fangs, black claws, and yellow goggles dances in front of the mirror.

Fursona

Aly Labbé-Hervieux | Canada | Age 21

In Pessamit, Canada, Aly reflects upon the importance of their fursona, Dexter. Dexter helps Aly bring joy to others through his extroverted and social attitude.

A group of aspiring martial artists excitedly prepares to engage in the Brazilian martial art of Capoeira.

The Capoeristas

Mariel Mudrik | Chicago | Age 21

A group of Chicagoans find companionship in the Brazilian martial art of Capoeira, exploring how it connects them not only to their community but also to their lost heritage.

A harnessed camel with no rider stands in the sand in front of a group of people conversing under an umbrella.

Brucey

Ayan Khalil Shammmalakh | State of Palestine, Saudi Arabia | Age 19

This multimedia documentary follows Brucey–sailing slang for anchor–and his family as they give insight into the fishing trade and their connection to the ocean in Gaza.

Sponsors

Presented by logo: Adobe Premiere Pro 217x75

Wadjda

Wadjda is a 10-year-old girl living in a suburb of Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia. Although she lives in a conservative world, Wadjda is always pushing the boundaries of what she can get away with. After a fight with her friend Abdullah, Wadjda sees a beautiful green bicycle for sale. She wants the bicycle desperately so that she can beat Abdullah in a race. Wadjda’s mother won’t allow it, fearing repercussions from a society that sees bicycles as dangerous to a girl’s virtue. So Wadjda decides to try and raise the money herself. Soon enough, Wadjda’s plans are thwarted when she is caught running various schemes at school. Just as she is losing hope of raising enough money, she hears of a cash prize for a Koran recitation competition at her school. She devotes herself to the memorization and recitation of Koranic verses, determined to continue fighting for her dreams. Wadjda is the first feature length film to be shot completely in Saudi Arabia, as well as the first feature film made by a female Saudi director

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