Acting
Yousry Nasrallah's powerful adaptation of Lebanese writer Elias Khoury's epic novel of fifty years of Palestinian dispossession, exile, and resistance. The film follows the flight of Younes, his wife Nahila, and those around them, from their village in northern Palestine to a refugee camp in Lebanon. Some vow to continue the struggle, most simply struggle to survive. Unsparingly detailing the impact of the nakba (disaster) on Palestinian life and society and the refugees' often-contentious relationship with their reluctant Lebanese hosts, Gate of the Sun spans generations, mixing personal stories with historical events.
As far as one can remember, water has been dropping from this ceiling. One drop after another, slowly, like an ever-repeating dream that spreads all-over and changes the rhythm of life, creating a partition in-between the internal and the external. One camera for Nidal Debs, another for his hero Marwan, One camera shooting what the other sees. who makes the film?. Marwan lives in Damascus since a long time, since when refugees arrived and filled the city, since hardship was even harder. He & his friends lived those times when life was different, when dreams were bouncing in the streets. Something is happening today, the friends awaken as Ahmad passes away, a life-time of silence has passed, a life-time of frustration and loneliness must end, dreams are searching for a few minutes, for last moments, there is still a little time left. There is a new space today.
The Crusades: Crescent & the Cross presents the epic battle between two superpowers of the Middle Ages: the Christian Crusaders and the Muslims. Fought over two centuries, the conflict decided the fate of the Holy Land of the Middle East. Only a tiny strip of land, just a few hundred miles long, it contained the ultimate prize: the city of Jerusalem. The documentary is driven by the key personalities of the First, Second and Third Crusades, the popes, kings, sultans, and knights who, in the name of God, ruthlessly fought for land and power. Experience the murder, treachery, and bloodshed of this legendary chapter of history through the eyes of key historical figures such Richard the Lionheart and Saladin, King Louis VII and Nur al-Din. With breathtaking CGI-enhanced visuals, heart-pounding reenactments, and the stunning footage from rarely seen locations, The Crusades: Crescent & the Cross brings the first three Crusades alive for a new generation in conflict.
Shot over three years on the borders between Iraq, Kurdistan, Syria and Lebanon, the film depicts the everyday struggles of people attempting to rebuild their lives amongst the devastating effects of civil wars, dictatorships, foreign invasions, and the deadly presence of ISIS.
They grew up in the land of dictators and surveillance, where images are censored, photos are burned, thoughts are discreet, and mouths are kept shut. They grew up in Syria.
Lina’s plan was simple. She wanted to become a camerawoman. She liked filming details of life and people around her, mainly during a bright sunny day in Damascus. But with the uprising in Syria, Lina was slowly absorbed into documenting the impact on people’s lives. It didn’t take long before events escalated, and arrests, torture, and potentially life-threatening situations became a reality for Lina to negotiate on a daily basis. She had to adapt. She invented personas and aliases. They each helped her navigate life under a new norm. What was a simple plan, turned into a complex web of identities, which seemed then a small price in exchange for her liberty to continue to hold the camera.
