Arab cinema made a strong showing at the 76th Berlinale. With Morocco as guest country at the European Film Market (EFM) and 15 Arab films selected in Festival’s various categories, the Arab film industry demonstrated its dynamism and creativity.
During the EFM, the Centre cinématographique marocain (CCM) organised several events to showcase the diversity of national film-making and highlight the country’s importance. These included screening the CCM’s 4K restored version of Ahmed Bouanani’s 1979 film Le Mirage.
Among the Arab films, only Tunisian director Leyla Bouzid’s A voix basse (In a Whisper) was in competition for the Golden Bear. Her film is about a young woman, Lilia, returning to Tunisia for her uncle’s funeral. Her family know nothing of her life in Paris, and above all nothing about the woman she loves. In Tunisia she confronts family secrets as she tries to understand the circumstances of her uncle’s death.
There were other Arab countries represented, notably Palestine with Abdallah Alkhatib’s Chronicles from the Siege (GWFF Best First Feature Award), Egypt with Mohamed Hammad’s Safe Exit, and Syria with Tawfik Sabouni’s documentary L’Autre côté du soleil (The Other Side of the Sun).
Sources: Aujourd’hui le Maroc, Goethe-Institut, EFM
