A fresh satin red carpet got rolled out to kick off the return of the annual Berlin Film Festival as stars and film makers from around the world gathered for the highly anticipated 74th edition.
Taking place from February 15 to 25, the European Film Festival is once again celebrating international talent and cinema through its diverse lineup of films. The Arab world alone has made a major appearance in this year’s edition, and these are the films to look forward to:
Sukoun
When a place of safety is shattered, fear and distortion rise to the surface. Viewers get to see that firsthand by watching Hind’s story unfold.
The hard-of-hearing young karate athlete gets subjected to abuse at her training center, and from there, we experience her newfound distorted world through her eyes and ears. Jordanian director Dina Naser’s film is a true story that showcases the power of resilience.
The Strangers’ Case
When tragedy strikes a family in Syria’s Aleppo, a chain reaction of events ripples through five different families in four different countries. The Jordanian production stars a melting pot of actors, including Egyptian Palestinian actress Yasmine Al Massri, Lupin-star French actor Omar Sy, and Greek actress Angeliki Papoulia.
Diaries From Lebanon
Taken from the most intimate and personal account of an individual’s life, a diary, the film explores four tumultuous years of Lebanon’s turmoil battling to break free. Lebanese director Myriam El Hajj has a knack for taking the camera and capturing the strife and resilience of the Lebanese people through her films. This will mark the world premiere of her film, “Diaries from Lebanon.”
No Other Land
Showcasing an unlikely alliance between Israel and Palestine is a film by a Palestinian-Israeli collective of four young activists. The film showcases the destruction of the West Bank’s Masafer Yatta by Israeli authorities shot by the young Palestinian activist Basel Adra, who, along the way, makes an unlikely alliance with an Israeli journalist called Yuval.
All these films come together to shed a painful and realistic light on the ongoing crisis faced across the region and the resilient figures that overcome the adversity.
