Aicha

MEHDI M. BARSAOUI - Tunisia, France, Italy, Saudi Arabia, Qatar - 2024 - 123 mins - View trailer

In Person: Director Mehdi M. Barsaoui

In parched southern Tunisia, Aya (Fatma Sfar) still lives with her parents, whose debts she is forced to pay with a dead-end hotel job. Then a miracle happens: she dies. That is, she is assumed to have died in a fiery crash that kills her coworkers. Aya seizes the chance to escape to Tunis and a fresh start with a new identity. But freedom, and ultimately identity, prove elusive. Even in a city where young people can go clubbing into the night, where women hold the highest offices—judge, police chief—misogyny and corruption go hand in hand. After a fracas at a nightclub, Aya becomes a pawn in a police coverup. Director Mehdi M. Barsaoui, speaking for "Tunisian youth whose dreams are too often denied," has presented us with "a paradox where true freedom for the protagonist can only be attained through her death."—Judy Bloch

In Arabic with English subtitles

Disorder

LUCIEN BOURJEILY, WISSAM CHARAF, BANE FAKIH, AREEJ MAHMOUD - Lebanon - 2024 - 91 mins

In Person: Director Lucien Bourjeily

Executive produced by renowned Lebanese director and actress Nadine Labaki, Disorder is a powerful anthology film featuring four darkly comedic stories exploring Lebanon's modern-day struggles following the 2019 economic crisis and resulting political strife that continued after the enormous Beirut port explosion of 2020. "The Group" focuses on a meeting of would-be protesters discovering that their cantankerous planning sessions are being recorded by the government, "Motherland" finds a mother and three daughters arguing over almost everything as each tries to find a way to adapt to the current reality, "Don't Panic" portrays a suicidal life coach who encounters a former patient who wants to help his old coach, and "A Piece of Heaven" follows a depressed standup comic who wakes up after a show to discover that his bleak joke about the end of the world might actually come true—and everyone starts blaming him.—Dave Nuttycombe

In Arabic with English subtitles

Fez Summer 55

DIRECTOR: ABDELHAI LARAKI, PRODUCER: CAROLINE LOCARDI (A2L) - Morocco - 2024 - 114 mins - View trailer

In the summer of 1955, just months before Morocco's independence, 11-year-old Kamal lives in the vibrant Medina of Fez. Together with his older friend Aïcha and her fellow students from Qaraouiyine University, he becomes drawn toward the fierce fight for freedom. This is Kamal's coming-of-age story, but it's also a passionate account of the rebirth of a nation. Set against the backdrop of Morocco's struggle against colonialism, Fez Summer '55 is a vivid portrayal of a country reclaiming its identity and culture. Inspired by the memories of Moroccan resistance fighters, director Abdelhai Laraki brings to life extraordinary acts of patriotism, the quest for women's rights, and the pursuit for independence. Through Kamal's eyes, we witness transformative moments that not only shape a young boy's growth but also the future of a nation.—Various sources

In Arabic with English subtitles

Happy Holidays

SCANDAR COPTI - Palestinian Territories, Germany, France, Italy, Qatar - 2024 - 123 mins

This intricate family drama set in Haifa centers on the secrets young people keep from their parents and each other. Rami and his sister, Fifi, each have relationships and indiscretions best kept from their long-suffering but canny mother (the wonderful Wafaa Aoun). But as the secrets spiral out in wide-reaching ways, so does the drama. A look at contemporary life for a well-off family of Arab Christians in Israel, with a sidelong glance at the larger society in which they live, the ironically titled Happy Holidays reveals how even the most modern relationships are in the grip of ancient assumptions that hold women and men back from their futures. Oscar®-nominated Palestinian director Scandar Copti (Ajami) has created a narrative structure in the manner of an arabesque, with intertwining story threads that both explain and add to the plot's mounting mysteries.—Judy Bloch

In Arabic with English subtitles

Yalla Parkour

AREEB ZUAITER - Sweden, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Palestine - 2024 - 89 mins - View trailer

In Person: Director Areeb Zuaiter (April 25 screening only)

When filmmaker Areeb Zuaiter lost her Palestinian mother, she lost her connection to Gaza. In pursuit of a memory that reinforces her sense of belonging, Areeb sees a video of a parkour team that uses the ruins of Gaza's bombed buildings as obstacle courses, laughing for joy against a background of explosions. Longing to reconnect with her past, Areeb contacts the team and befriends teenager Ahmed Matar, who believes that parkour will be his route out of the prison their shared homeland has become. Together, they navigate what is left of Gaza. Ahmed's desire to escape triggers conflicting feelings in Areeb, who understands the emotional void that such a departure can bring. At this time when Gaza and its people are being devastated every day, Yalla Parkour (winner of the Grand Jury Prize at DOC NYC) is a portrait of a tormented city and the perseverance of its people.—Various sources

In Arabic with English subtitles

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