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Ayam VI

It’s true… this blog has been abandoned for quite some time, but not anymore.

Many thanks for all the attendees of Ayam Beirut Al Cinema’iya – 6th Edition!

Ayam VI was a great success with more than 8,000 spectators attending 47 screenings, and more than 60 guests from around the world.

Keep on checking Twitter / Ayambeirut, http://www.beirutdc.org/, THIS blog and Beirut DC’s Facebook group to check out our latest news and updates.

And do check this blog soon for pictures and detailed highlights of this last successful 6^th Edition of Ayam Beirut Al Cinema’iya!

Day 10 | September 25th

The countdown for the Closing of this 6th edition of Ayam Beirut Al Cinema’iya has started.

On the program for Saturday September 25th:

Children Screenings, starting 4.30PM

• My Simple Story (32’) by Izidore K. Musallam

A donkey decides to return from occupied Palestine to his ancestors’ home in Haifa, Israel. Sami, a nine year-old energetic, smart and confident Palestinian boy decides to help his friend – the donkey – in this unusual journey of return through the occupied West Bank and its checkpoints.

• Very Humane (32’) by Osama Fawzi

Mahmoud, a twelve-year old boy, works besides going to school to help his unemployed father and ill grandmother. His growing body prevents him from continuing to work as a money collector in a small bus. However, his honesty, fairness and straight forwardness help him overcome the many obstacles he encounters.

Closing Film, starting 6.30PM (by invitation only)

• Carlos (333’) by Olivier Assayas
  Ilich Ramirez Sanchez (Carlos) is a key figure in the history of international terrorism of the 70′s and 80′s, from pro-Palestinian activism to the Japanese Red Army. At once a figure of the extreme left and an opportunistic mercenary in the pay of powerful Middle Eastern secret services, he ended up forming his own organization. This film is the story of a revolutionary internationalist, both manipulator and manipulated, as he is dragged by the currents of contemporary history.

*Master Class Cancelled

Dear friends,
The Master Class with Olivier Assayas (Sat. 25th) has been cancelled.
We appologize for any inconvenience.

Chers amis,
La master class de Olivier Assayas ce Samedi (le 25 Septembre) est annulée.
Veuillez accepter nos excuses les plus sincères.
Amicalement

Day 9 | September 24th

Day 9 of Ayam Beirut Al Cinema’iya is expected to attract many crowds, so kindly make sure to be at Cinema Metropolis Empire Sofil – Achrafieh early to book your seats!

On the program:

• Carte Blanche to BBC Arabic
  Jews Of Lebanon (45’) The movie is about memories related by Jews who lived in Lebanon and migrated to various destinations, and by Lebanese who lived in the Jewish neighborhood in Wady Abu Jamil and Sidon. The shooting of the movie took place in Beirut, Sidon, Israel as well as Mexico and Canada. Years after their immigration, what do Jews of Lebanese origins think of their homeland? What do they still remember about it? How do they live with their past? Is there anything left of them in Lebanon? And how are they perceived there?
  screening at 6PM, in the presence of the director Nada Abdelsamad

• We Were Communists (84’) A reflection on the intersecting destinies of comrades who were once bound by ideologies and remain tightly knit friends, We Were Communists is Maher Abi Samra’s uninhibited examination of the legacy of Lebanon’s civil war and its post-war present. Four men recount their stories from the battlefield, their broken dreams, and their eventual disillusionment in light of the country’s ongoing unsettled crises.
  screening at 7.30PM, in the presence of the director Maher Abi Samra

• The Long Night (94’) Through one night, one long night, three political prisoners are released from jail. They return to their lives and their families, some of whom chose, voluntarily, to be in exile, while others had to pay a very expensive price for staying: shunning, isolation and marginalization. Waiting for the daylight, another prisoner, who hasn’t been released, lives in a long night, with the hope that this night will one day come to an end.
  screening at 10PM, in the presence of the director Hatem Ali

>> Cinema Days of Beirut full program