The 34th edition of the Arab Film Festival ended on Sunday in Fameck in Moselle. An edition which was particularly moving with the current Israeli-Palestinian conflict, very present in the minds of festival-goers.
Cinema, like a window open to the world and in particular to what is happening in the Middle East. This is the whole point of the Arab Film Festival in Fameck, a true showcase of Arab culture in Moselle. Its 34th edition was held from October 5 to 15, 2023 with this year, Morocco, as the country in the spotlight, in support of the terrible earthquake that recently struck the country.
In total, more than 110 screenings are scheduled over the 10 days of the festival, with productions from many countries, including Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt, Syria, Palestine, Iraq and Lebanon. During each edition, several films are rewarded during an awards ceremony. This year, the jury, chaired by Zinedine Soualem, awarded the Grand Prize to Leïla Kilani for her feature film, Joint ownership.
The film tells the story of a family who reunites on the old family estate in the hills of Tangier. The opportunity to sell a huge parcel of the estate to a real estate developer would make them millionaires, but the transaction turns out to be more complicated than expected.
A particular resonance with the current context
“It hurts to know that all these people are suffering in countries where there is no peace and there may never be peace. And seeing all these human beings who are suffering and who are not the cause of this conflict, it’s terrible“, confided a spectator at the end of the screening of Tel Aviv-Beirut by Michale Boganim. A powerful film about the fate of two families between Lebanon and Israel, but also about exile and the pain of war.
“Depending on the country of origin, depending on the community to which we belong, we are more or less affected, but we share together, that’s the main thing.”
Brigitte Vaisse, president of the Arab Film Festival
For several years now, festival-goers have looked at and discussed events in the Middle East, all with kindness according to Brigitte Vaisse, the president of the festival: “In this place, everyone feels authorized to speak and there is no vindictiveness or violence. We talk about it, we share an emotion even if, depending on the country of origin, depending on the community to which we belong, we are more or less affected, but we share together, that’s the main thing.“