Middle Eastern Film Fest

I'm a big believer in being a tourist in my hometown, so I try to find unique events in the area. Since I went to Jordan and Israel in the fall, I thought I'd take in the Middle Eastern Film Festival hosted by the Utah Museum of Fine Arts. They show a film every couple weeks, and I've gone twice.

Wednesday I saw "Dunia--Kiss me not on the eyes," an Egyptian film. It's about a woman who is a literature graduate student and aspiring dancer, and the intersections of her life with her professor, who is blinded by attackers after speaking against the censorship of "A Thousand and One Nights", her husband, who after their marriage tries to curtail her activities, and her friends, who are trying to establish more freedom for themselves and their daughters despite the limitations placed on them not by men but by older generations of women. Definitely a message movie, but needed, and enjoyable.

A few weeks ago I saw "Lemon Tree," which was a little lighter and had some sweet and funny moments. A Palestinian widow is trying to protect her lemon orchard, right on the border of Israel and the West Bank, from being cut down after the Israeli defense minister moves in right across the way. It's her story of fighting back and re-entering life, and about the similarities of people on opposite sides of the conflict. I really enjoyed it and now I'd like to see "The Syrian Bride," with the same actress and director. The actress, Hiam Abbass, is also in "The Visitor" which came out last year in the US.

Future movies: On Monday, March 8, 2010 at 7pm, the U of U is screening "Waltz with Bashir," and animated documentary about individuals coming through the 1982 Lebanon War. It was nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar and other awards. This one is at the Fort Douglas Theater, 245 S. Fort Douglas Boulevard

The last film in the series is playing Wed. March 17 at 6pm in the UMFA auditorium. It's "Persepolis," the story of a girl growing up in Iran, based on a graphic novel. It was nominated for the Best Animated Feature Oscar but lost to Ratatouille. http://umfa.utah.edu/calendar