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- Researcher and independent curator, specializing in Arab cinema Mathilde Rouxel and academic of Arab Culture Dalia Mostafa engage in an online conversation on November 8 about the work of French Lebanese filmmaker Jocelyne Saab
- Audiences can watch three films on-demand in advance of and following the conversation from November 3 to November 10
Abu Dhabi : The Arts Center at NYU Abu Dhabi (NYUAD) continue the fifth edition of their CinemaNa series with a focus on online conversations and screenings by influential filmmakers from the Arab world. Researcher and independent curator specializing in Arab cinema Mathilde Rouxel, and Senior Lecturer in Arab Cultural Studies at the University of Manchester Dalia Mostafa, will engage in an online conversation about the work of French Lebanese filmmaker Jocelyne Saab on Monday, November 8, at 8pm.
Presented in partnership with the NYUAD Film and New Media Program and Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi, the second installment in the season features a carefully curated selection of three contemporary films written and directed by Jocelyne Saab, who died in 2019: Dunia, Kiss Me Not On The Eyes, Beirut, My City (Beyrouth Ma Ville) and The Lady of Saigon (La dame de Saigon). The films will be available for on-demand viewing from November 3-10 to all who book a ticket to attend the talk.
Commenting on the fall program of CinemaNa, series co-curator and Associate Arts Professor of Film at NYUAD Scandar Copti said: “In the past year we have seen a growing popularity for critically-acclaimed Arab films, especially among various international streaming platforms. We welcome this positive advancement for Arab contemporary cinema, and from our side we are seeking to delve into regional storytelling and shed light on the celebrated creatives of the Arab world and the rich cultures they represent through their films.”
Associate Director of External Relations at NYUAD Reem Saleh said: “The late Jocelyne Saab was a pioneer of Lebanese and Arabic cinema and her films have inspired young talent from the Arab world to narrate the ever-evolving nuances and social issues of the region and share them beyond these borders. We are excited to connect with UAE and international audiences in an authentic way through some of the most iconic and contemporary Arabic movies.”
Assistant Professor of Sociology at Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi Clio Chaveneau said:
“We are delighted to present three films from the rich filmography of Jocelyn Saab to celebrate the talent of a central – but sometimes, forgotten - figure in Arab cinema. Thought as an introduction to Saab’work, this selection is a great opportunity to discover or rediscover her personal and political film essays and to discuss, with scholars Dalia Mostafa and Mathilde Rouxel, Saab’s unique voice and the transversal themes she explored through her career.”
The films, written and directed by Jocelyne Saab are:
Dunia, Kiss Me Not On The Eyes
A meditation on female desire, often a taboo subject, especially in the Egyptian society where the film takes place. Driven by the powerful eroticism of Arab poetry and music, the film talks about love and desire, through the experience of a traditionally and strictly educated young woman. The film leads to the trauma provoked by female genital mutilation, which, according to UNICEF, Amnesty International and PNUD reports, affects 97% of women in Egypt in 2003. Trailer
Genre: Drama, Romance (Age Advisory: 18+)
Beirut, My City (Beyrouth Ma Ville)
In July, 1982, the Israeli army laid siege to Beirut. Four years earlier, Jocelyne Saab saw her 150-year old childhood home go up in flames. She asked herself: when did all this begin? Every place becomes a historical site and every name, a memory. Trailer
Genre: Mini-Documentary (Age Advisory: 16+: Contains graphic images of war)
The Lady of Saigon (La dame de Saigon)
A portrait of Dr. Hoa, an extraordinary woman who was a minister in the South Vietnamese revolutionary government. Her life is a battle, and that battle is a pleasure. During the war she was at times imprisoned, and at times a member of the resistance. She tells Jocelyne Saab about her experiences. Trailer
Genre: Documentary
The CinemaNa talk will be streamed online at www.nyuad-artscenter.org. The Event is ticketed, but free of charge. Tickets are available from Wednesday, October 27. The films will be available for on-demand viewing to all ticket holders from November 3 to November 10. Visit The Arts Center website for details.
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For more information please visit: http://www.nyuad-artscenter.org. The Arts Center at NYUAD is an internationally renowned performing arts center that presents distinguished professional artists from around the world alongside student, faculty, and community productions.
About
Dr. Mathilde Rouxel: Dr. Mathilde Rouxel is a researcher and an independent curator, specialising in Arab cinema. She published the first monograph about the French-Lebanese filmmaker Jocelyne Saab (Jocelyne Saab, la mémoire indomptée, Dar an-Nahar, Beirut, 2015). She is currently in charge of her whole artistic heritage, and founded with Jocelyne Saab’s son Nessim Ricardou-Saab the Jocelyne Saab’s Friends Association which aims to the enhancement, the restoration and the wide dissemination of her artistic heritage.
Dr. Dalia Mostafa: Dalia Mostafa is a Senior Lecturer in Arab Cultural Studies at the University of Manchester. She has published widely on contemporary Arabic literature, Middle Eastern cinema, and Popular Culture in Egypt. She has a special interest in Lebanese literature and cinema and has published several academic articles and book chapters on this subject, including a book chapter on the works of the Lebanese filmmaker Jocelyne Saab (in Ten Arab Filmmakers: Political Dissent and Cultural Critique, 2015). Dalia is the author of The Egyptian Military in Popular Culture: Context and Critique (2017); and the editor of Women, Culture, and the January 2011 Egyptian Revolution (2017). Her latest monograph is entitled The Egyptian Coffeehouse: Culture, Politics and Urban Space (2020), co-authored with Amina Elbendary.
About The Arts Center at NYU Abu Dhabi
Presenting music, theater, dance, film and interdisciplinary performances that defy definition, The Arts Center at NYU Abu Dhabi is a performing arts center that presents distinguished professional artists from around the world alongside student, faculty, and community productions. The Arts Center draws on the resources of NYUAD to create a dynamic space for research, investigation, and the active pursuit of knowledge and wisdom for audiences as well as visiting artists. The Arts Center is proudly supported by Mubadala as lead sponsor.
About Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi
Sorbonne University was established in May 2006, under the patronage of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al Nahyan, Crown prince of Abu Dhabi, Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE armed forces, and under license from the Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge (ADEK).
Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi is an Emirati university that benefits from 760 years of academic experience of the prestigious Sorbonne University in Paris. The university boasts a 93,000 square meters state-of-the-art campus located in Al Reem Island.
Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi follows the French Education System and Sorbonne University and University of Paris award its degrees, while all degrees are also accredited by the UAE’s Commission for Academic Accreditation.
Over 2000 students of more than 90 different nationalities have graduated from Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi to date.
Visit Sorbonne Abu Dhabi’s website: http://www.sorbonne.ae
About NYU Abu Dhabi
NYU Abu Dhabi is the first comprehensive liberal arts and science campus in the Middle East to be operated abroad by a major American research university. NYU Abu Dhabi has integrated a highly selective liberal arts, engineering and science curriculum with a world center for advanced research and scholarship enabling its students to succeed in an increasingly interdependent world and advance cooperation and progress on humanity’s shared challenges. NYU Abu Dhabi’s high-achieving students have come from more than 115 nations and speak over 115 languages. Together, NYU's campuses in New York, Abu Dhabi, and Shanghai form the backbone of a unique global university, giving faculty and students opportunities to experience varied learning environments and immersion in other cultures at one or more of the numerous study-abroad sites NYU maintains on six continents.
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