ANA Contemporary Arab Cinema

07/19/2024

The series ended with a bang! Another sold-out night with a standby line for the blockbuster political satire VOY VOY VOY. The director Omar Hilal regaled us with hilarious anecdotes from the shoot. The film is based on the true story of the players of blind football team that con their way onto the team only to use the excuse of playing overseas to escape Egypt.
On a personal note, the series is a fab way for us to connect with old friends & relatives & make new ones & to meet the talented filmmakers who are telling our stories of today to a wider global audience.
Thank you BAM Film for hosting us & Hagop Kevorkian Center for Near Eastern Studies at NYU for hosting the filmmakers. And the audience members who came day after day to watch the movies & support the series.
Can’t wait for 2025!

07/18/2024

Tonight we're closing with the funny and heartwarming Egyptian political satire ! directed by Omar Hilal.
📽 Based on an incredible true story, Voy! Voy! Voy! relates the tale of Hassan, an Egyptian man who dreams of escaping poverty in Cairo, and fakes a visual impairment in order to join a team bound for the Blind Football World Cup in Poland.

🙏🏼 to Hagop Kevorkian Center for Near Eastern Studies at NYU for their amazing support and for BAM Film and the entire BAM Rose Cinemas staff for their consistent smiling help, their patience and professionalism.

07/18/2024

Last night we had another sold-out screening for Ibrahim Nesh’at’s documentary, Hollywoodgate. Ibrahim spent 7 months embedded with the Taliban as they uncovered the spoils of war left behind by evacuating US troops and took that equipment to transform themselves from cave fighters to a military machine. Ibrahim joined us for the Q&A after the screening.
BAM Film Hagop Kevorkian Center for Near Eastern Studies at NYU Lina Matta

07/17/2024

In all our years putting on the ANA film series, we’ve never had a standby ticket line. We’ve had films sell out but no lines.
Until, last night for the screening of Farah Naboulsi's Palestinian film The Teacher! To many more …
Two more nights, and two more awesome films with the directors in attendance. Come to Brooklyn & join in the fun

07/16/2024

Days 4 & 5 we traveled from Jordan, to the deserts of Tabuk & the fighting fields of Raqqa with Inshallah a Boy, Hajjan & The Rebel.
Just a few more to go….
If you’re in NY, blink and you’ll miss us.
Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday after that it’s see you next year!
BAM FilmHagop Kevorkian Center for Near Eastern Studies at NYU Lina Matta

07/16/2024

Only a few seats left! Tonight's Farah Nabulsi THE TEACHER screening!
📽 A Palestinian school teacher struggles to reconcile his risky commitment to political resistance with his emotional support for one of his students and the chance of a new relationship with a volunteer worker.
The Teacher is the directorial feature-film debut of Farah Nabulsi, a Palestinian-British filmmaker born, raised, and educated in the UK, whose debut short film, The Present, won a BAFTA Award and was nominated for an Oscar.

07/15/2024

The Belgian/Moroccan directors of this movie, Adil and Billal are better known for their blockbuster Hollywood movies Bad Boys for Life etc. but they consider Rebel the best movie they ever made. "Rebel focuses on Kamal Wasaki (Aboubakr Bensaihi) an idealistic Belgian rapper who after getting busted for drugs in his home country flees to Syria to volunteer to help the victims of the war. Soon after he is kidnapped by ISIS where he is forced to shoot their propaganda videos thanks to his experience shooting his own hip-hop videos."

07/14/2024

Tonight at 6:30PM we conclude the weekend with this Jordanian gem "Inshallah A Boy" directed by Amjad Al Rasheed
the first-ever Jordanian film to premiere at Cannes, Inshallah a Boy tells the story of Nawal, who faces destitution after the sudden passing of her husband. In order to protect her daughter and save her home from an exploitative brother-in-law taking advantage of Jordan’s patriarchal inheritance laws, Nawal pretends to be pregnant with a son—a deception that grows harder to sustain as time passes, leaving her with a difficult path toward self-determination.

07/14/2024

Day 3 was a marathon! Starting with Carol Mansour’s provocative journey of returning her mum’s ashes to her homeland in Yafa, to Amr Gemao's emotionally gripping The Burdened المرهقون Amr regalled us after the film with details on filming in Aden & his work on preserving structures & culture on film. The last film of the evening was Hiding Saddam Hussein the audience sat slack-jawed as the farmer who hid Saddam Hussein for 235 days described his ordeal.
Here are a few pictures
BAM Film Hagop Kevorkian Center for Near Eastern Studies at NYU Lina Matta

07/14/2024

Looking to spend time al fresco with the kids? Abu Bakr Shawky movie Hajjan produced by Film Clinic is a perfect summer escape. 📽 In the highly competitive world of Bedouin camel racing, the younger brother of a jockey killed under mysterious circumstances sets out to restore his family honor in a quest suffused with magical realism.

07/13/2024

And finally at 9:30PM Hiding Saddam Hussein: A portrait of the man who walked away from $25 million dollars directed by Halkawt Mustafa

07/13/2024

At 6:30PM : The Burdened المرهقون - Followed by a Q@A with the director Amr Gamal.

07/13/2024

Don't miss Carol Mansour Aida Returns 🎬. Today at 4:30PM!

07/13/2024

Day two say was Lebanon Night with two docs celebrating the Arts Dancing on the Edge of a Volcano about the persistsnce to go on producing their film against a myriad disasters from the Aug 4 port explosion to the lira devaluation, gas shortage, electricity outage & Covid, and The Third Rahbani, celebrating the diversity of talent & brilliance of Elias Rahbani on the Lebanese & international music scene. BAM Film Hagop Kevorkian Center for Near Eastern Studies at NYU Lina Matta

07/12/2024

Oh what a night!!!
Kicked off at BAM Film tonight with a sold-out screening of the amazing Oscar nominated Sudanese film Goodbye Julia Film - فيلم وداعاً جوليا
The audience was packed with old friends & new fans of the series. Here are some highlights BAM Film Hagop Kevorkian Center for Near Eastern Studies at NYU Lina Matta

07/10/2024

Join us for tomorrow's Opening Night! Mohammad Kordofani Goodbye Julia Film - فيلم وداعاً جوليا Lina Matta

06/21/2024

One of the delights of attending festivals or series, is arriving on Day One, watching the trailer for the first time and seeing it fresh. Then as the days progress and you watch more and more films, you start recognizing the different scenes. I love that sense of tracking how many of the films I've seen and how many more there are left for me to watch before I've "finished them all". For those of you who share that little habit, I'm excited to unveil the trailer for this year's edition of ANA2024. Lina Matta BAM Film Hagop Kevorkian Center for Near Eastern Studies at NYU Carol Mansour Farah Nabulsi The Burdened المرهقون Cyril Aris Abu Bakr Shawky Amjad Al Rasheed Film Clinic Mohamed Kordofani Halkawt Mustafa Feyrouz Serhal

06/19/2024

Tickets are on sale at BAM Film for ANA.
Series is running July 11-18. Check the calendar & start buying your tickets. Looking forward to catching up with you all soon! Hagop Kevorkian Center for Near Eastern Studies at NYU Lina Matta

New works from bold filmmakers illuminate the diversity and complexity of the Arab world.

06/11/2024

Are you ready?? Film schedule to be released later this week.

BAM Film BROOKLYN Lebanese Club of New York عراقيون في نيويورك / Iraqis in New York City Hagop Kevorkian Center for Near Eastern Studies at NYU Moroccan Americans in New York Lina Matta

07/20/2023

What an honor to screen The Alleys - الحارة at BAM Film last night with loads of attendees from East Amman where the movie was filmed, in the audience. Thank you Bassel Ghandour for entertaining us with insights & stories on the making of the film

07/20/2023

Closing Night is always bittersweet. We've had a wonderful week. Meeting old and new friends. Sharing wonderful films with you all, our curious and avid audience. Soon, we'll say goodbye again. If you can, don't miss tonight's GAZA WEEKEND and his director BASIL KHALIL. It will be fun and enlightening. Where? BAM Film Time? 7PM. -- Thanks again to Hagop Kevorkian Center for Near Eastern Studies at NYU for their help and support and the entire BAM Film team for inviting us and keeping the show running night after night!

07/19/2023

Double feature Night. At 6:30PM catch Bassel Ghandour THE ALLEYS and stick around for the Q&A. The Alleys won 🪙Audience award and 🪙Special Mention at Malmo Arab Film Festival, Sweden as well 🪙The Grand Prix du Jury at the Festival du Premier Film d’Annonay, France. 🎥 When an anonymous vo**ur tries to blackmail Lana her mother goes to Abbas, a local mob boss, for help — setting off uncontrollable, domino-like consequences. -- at 9:30PM sneak a late night screening of the Lebanese film Dirty Difficult Dangerous directed by Wissam Charaf. 🪙Winner of the Mozaik Bridging the Borders Award at Palm Springs Festival 🎥In Beirut, Lebanon, Mehdia, an Ethiopian migrant domestic worker is in love with Ahmed, a Syrian refugee who struggles to survive dealing in second-hand metal scraps. Their love story seems to have no future....

07/19/2023

Last night’s turnout for Blue Caftan was the best we’ve had! Thank you new & old friends of ANA for supporting those courageous filmmakers. If you’ve missed the first few films, there’s two more nights to go….

07/18/2023

Tonight might be your last chance to ever watch "The Blue Caftan" on a big screen in New York. 7PM BAM Film. 🎬A middle-aged tailor and his wife find their relationship turned upside down by the arrival of a handsome new apprentice.
🏆Golden Space Needle Award for Best Director at the Seattle International Film Festival
🏆 2023 Winner Golden Space Needle Award Best Performance Lubna Azabal
🏆Winner 2022 FIPRESCI Prize Cannes Un Certain Regard
2022 Winner Prix du Jury Marrakech International Film Festival

07/18/2023

Mid-way through the series. A few more days & a few more brilliant films to go. Wednesday & Thursday we have two Oscar-nominee directors flying in to present their films & meet you. Come by & say hi. Last night was the Iraqi Venice film festival winner Hanging Gardens. Thanks Jeffrey for trekking in from Terrytown!

07/17/2023

Tarik Saleh regaled an enthusiastic crowd with stories about the making Thanks to all for joining us!

07/17/2023

عراقيون في نيويورك / Iraqis in New York City Don't miss tonight's screening of Ahmed Yassin movie Hanging Gardens/Janain mualaqa. The film premiered in the Horizons section at the 79th edition of the Venice Film Festival, and it was the first Iraqi film ever to be selected by the Venice Festival. It also won Best Feature at the 2022 Red Sea Film Festival -- When a young Iraqi rubbish picker finds an American s*x doll, setting off a chain of events as he confronts fundamentalism and consumerism. Producer: Ishtar Iraq Film Production

07/17/2023

Last night Tarik Saleh joined us for the screening of his edge-of-your-seat thriller Cairo Conspiracy and regaled us with fascinating behind the scenes tidbits of how the film came about & its adventure since it’s release.
Lina Matta

07/16/2023

Last night at Salah Issaad’s brilliant, searing film, Soula.
Thanks Matta-Aliah clan for joining & bringing friends

07/16/2023

🎥🍿 Movie Lovers Alert! 🍿🎥 Forget the rain and come take refuge in the wonderful movie theater at BAM Film starting at 3PM this afternoon.

1️⃣ Join us at 3:00 PM for award-winning Palestinian drama Mediterranean Fever: Directed by Maha Haj. With Amer Hlehel, Ashraf Farah, Anat Hadid, Samir Elias. -- Waleed, a struggling writer, and his unexpected friendship with Jalal, a small-time crook full of life. With a mix of melancholy and humor, this film is a must-see! Winner BEST SCREENPLAY AWARD at "Un Certain regard".

2️⃣ At 5:15 PM, we have something special in store for you! Not only will you get to watch the gripping thriller Cairo Conspiracy 🇪🇬 An intense battle for succession takes over the prestigious Al-Azhar University 🏆 Winner of Best Script at Cannes Film Festival, but you'll also have the unique opportunity to engage in a Q&A session with Swedish-Egyptian filmmaker Tarik Saleh Tarik Saleh

3️⃣ For all the night owls out there, our last film of the day begins at 8:30 PM. Ahmad Abdalla 19B - 19ب -- with Nahed ElSebai أحمد خالد صالح Ahmed Khaled Saleh Yara Goubran - يارا جبران Produced by Mohamed Hefzy - محمد حفظي --In an abandoned villa in a once-refined neighborhood, an old guard has been living since the 1960s. when suddenly, this world is turned upside down by an overzealous young man forcing him to face his fears, his past.

Grab your popcorn, call your friends, and head over to our theater for an afternoon filled with cinematic brilliance! 🎬✨

Tag your movie buddies in the comments below and spread the word! See you at the movies! 🎉🎥🍿