The Arab Film Festival takes place every year in California. It is considered one of the most important Arab film showcases outside the Middle East. The festival aims at reflecting the beauty and at the same time the complexity of that part of the world. In its 18th edition, 9 Lebanese films will be screened. The festival is going to take place in San Francisco Bay Area from October 13 until October 22, and in Los Angeles from October 27 until October 29.
Heaven Sent
Presumed dead for 20 years, a former militiaman reappears and must adjust to a changed society.
Here I Am… Here You Are
Two men, two worlds and a quest for a shared future in the present beset with real and imaginary boundaries. Unfolds as a travel-log navigating between Europe, a barricaded land of promise for homosexuals, and an Arab reality where gay characters hang in limbo between seeking acceptance and a desire for exile. https://www.facebook.com/arabfilmfestival/photos/a.58440569682.64826.12506274682/10156026057929683/?type=3&theater
Nut$
Lana gets caught up in Beirut’s underground gambling scene where gangsters, pimps, and psychopaths commingle. As she delves deeper into the elite, criminal underbelly of the high roller lifestyle, what will become of her once idyllic family life?
Solitaire
Twenty years past the Lebanese-Syrian war and Thérèse is still embittered towards everything related to Syria due to her beloved brother’s death by a Syrian bomb. Today, she joyfully prepares for a visit of her daughter’s suitor and his parents; however, when the long-awaited guests arrive, and to Thérèse’s dismay: it’s discovered they are Syrian!
Tramontane
A man searches for his origins in a land where people cannot retell his or their own past.
After
Hani has just been released from prison and returns to his hometown Dhour El Choueir, which was on the frontlines during the Lebanese Civil War. Once there, he finds the family home abandoned and partially destroyed. His parents fled, but he decides to stick around and visit residents. Eventually, he stumbles on a young woman who is about to commit suicide.
Under the Robes
An isolated convent, where a group of nuns once lived happily, is visited by the Monsignor. He comes to announce that their land will be sold. During the visit, he accidentally steps on a mine that dates back to war times. Everything goes awry, panic sets in, and the faith is questioned as the madness of each of the characters comes to light.
Status Quo
While the Lebanese borders are under constant terrorist attacks, a Beiruti couple battle midnight anxiety.
Submarine
In a not-so-distant future, Lebanon’s garbage crisis has reached an apex, with forecasts of acid rain looming in the distance. Set against this backdrop, Hala refuses to evacuate her home, as she clings to whatever remains. Get your tickets
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