2010 Arab Film Festival December 3, 2010

5:30-6 p.m. Opening Night Reception
Includes strolling halal dinner under the dome in the dramatic Community Courtyard at the Arab American National Museum, plus the AANM Short Film Contest Winners Screening and Package A films. Partial proceeds benefit the Arab American National Museum's Short Film Contest.

Reception presented in collaboration with the Detroit Film Think Tank.

6-7 p.m. AANM Short Film Contest Winners Screening
Join us in the Lower Level Auditorium to kick off the festival with a screening of the film submissions that best grasped our theme of Trans-Ubuntu: Trans indicating movement and Ubuntu, an African philosophy which sees individuals through their relationship with the larger community.

7 p.m. Sadness Between the Private and the Public
Dir: Sherif El Morsi
2009/Egypt
6 min.

After the death of a family member, a young man decides to attend a demonstration for the first time in his life. He joins in the demonstration with thoughts of his family loss, but communes with others in their pain as part of the world family he now feels related to. It is a sensitive film illustrating the turmoil of our global situation, how it relates to, and affects lives of both Muslim and Jewish citizens. Arabic with English subtitles.

Jury Grand Prize, 2008 Corto del Med Festival, France

7:10 p.m. At The Doorstep (Al Bab)
Dir: Firas Mahadin
2009/Egypt, Jordan
10 min.

Waiting for his girlfriend in his apartment, a man is continually interrupted by unwanted visitors, phone calls and all manner of irritants. Where on earth is she? He is waiting! And waiting... Arabic with English subtitles.

7:20 p.m. A Game
Dir: Marwa Zein
2009/Egypt
6 min.

Adapted from the short story Let's Play a Game by the Italian writer Alberto Moravia, this is the story of a divorced mother and her young daughter, told through a game played by the little girl. Arabic with English subtitles.

Jury Award - Best Short Film, 2010 National Egyptian Film Festival
Official Selection, 2010 AMAL Euro Arab International Film Festival, Spain

7:30 p.m. Eye of the Sun (Ein Shams)
Dir: Ibrahim El Batout
2008/Egypt
90 min.

From the restless imagination of a young girl in a rundown suburb of Cairo springs a rich and dynamic story dealing with power, corruption, yearning and childhood innocence. Through her experiences, the director pulls together a tangled weave of stories to create a tale that is an insightful and pointed as it is heartwarming as it is heartwarming. Arabic with English subtitles.

Golden Tauro Best Film Award, 2008 Taormina Film Festival, Sicily
Best First Film Award, 2008 Rotterdam Arab Film Festival
Best Film Award, 2009 San Francisco Arab Film Festival