70th edition of Cannes to feature Middle Eastern films

CAIRO- 17 May 2017: The70th edition of the International Cannes Festival inaugurated on 17 May and features competing films from all over the globe until 28 May.

Festival Program

The festival's program will feature a tribute for film producer Jeffrey Katzenberg, gathering winners of Palm D'or awards, a Greek music performance, and inauguration of Radio Festival the event’s webradio which will be broadcasting live.

Other segments will include a prize dedicated to photographers and 'Cannes Classics' dedicated to the history of the festival.

This year’s festival features five films from the Arab region that will be screened. The Arab-directed films are nominated for the Prize of Un Certain Regard in categories of directing, best screenplay, and jury.

Middle Eastern directed Movies

Egyptian fantasy/ drama film Ali, The Goat and Ibrahim will be competing with seven other movies from around the globe in the ‘Canners Ecrans Juniors’ category in Cannes Festival. The competition focuses on youth cinema where ages of the jury range between 13 to 15 years-old of age and reside in Cane.

Tunisian-French film, Beauty and the Dogs are among the films that will be screened in the Un Certain Regard Section in the festival.

Directed by Tunisian Kaouther Ben Hania, the French fiction film revolves around Tunisian student Mariam who experiences a tragic twist in events only to find that her persecutor is her only chance in survival.

Another movie expected to be screened and compete in the festival is drama film En Attendant Les Hirondelles (Until the Birds Return) directed by Algerian filmmaker Karim Moussaoui. The film revolves around a wealthy property developer who experiences a blend between past, present, reason, and sentiment.

The French movie portrays three stories that is said to take viewers into the souls of a contemporary Arab society.

Moussaoui’s film is also nominated for Golden Camera award in this year’s Cannes Festival. The director has previously won Special Mention at the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival in 2013 and was nominated for the Cesar Awards for Best Short Film in France, among other nominations.

Iranian Films

“Dregs” an Iranian drama film will be screened in the festival. Directed by Mohammad Rasoulof, the Persian hour and a half film revolves around the struggle of Reza with a private company who seeks to sell his land. Retired citizen, Reza is living a calm life with his wife and son near freshwater fish farming.

Iranian director, writer and producer Rasoulof has began his career by creating documentaries and short films. He won the prize for the best film at the Fajr Film Festival held in Iran and struggled with censorship imposed by the Iranian regime.

Rasoulof has won the Un Certain Regard award in Cannes Festival previously for his film ”Bé Omid é Didar” (Goodbye) and the FIPRESCI prize in Cannes for his film ”Dast-Neveshteha-Nemisoozand” (Manuscripts Don't Burn.)

Directed by late Abbas Kiarostami, Iranian drama film 24 Frames will be screened in the festival. The film portrays a collection of four-and-half-minute films that are inspired by still photos and paintings.

“24 Frames” is the last film released before the director’s death where he gathered all the photos he took through the years in on film, emphasizing a potential event taking place before or after each photo captured. Paintings filmed include The Hunters in the Snow by Pieter Bruegel and The Gleaners by Millet Jean Francois.

Kiarostami who captured a snapshot of a single frame, nothing before or after, has started his career as a filmmaker at age 30 and was awarded Palme D’Or and Grand Jury Prize, among others. The Iranian director has directed previous movies such as documentary film “Venice 70: Future Reloaded,” “Like Someone in Love,” and short film “Take Me Home.”

The final fifth film that will screen in the festival from the Arab region is feature film “Tehran Taboo” directed by Iranian-German filmmaker Ali Soozandeh.

The Iranian social drama film revolves around a single mother who lives with her five-year-old mute son and works as a prostitute to be able to pay rent and afford divorce from her jailed husband. The woman pretends to be a nurse and shares her secret career with her neighbor.
Soozandeh is known for combining animation and graphic novels that portray the Iranian theocracy.