Arab cinema looking towards the future[/caption]
On 21 September a Friday Forum was held on Arab film at the ICA as the opening event of the Safar film festival of popular Arab cinema. It featured a diverse range of speakers in an atmosphere crackling with love of film and concern for the art form.
The discussions were vigorous and insightful in exploring Arab cinema in the UK, the state of Arab cinema generally, its history and its prospects.
While many of the speakers shared frustrations with challenges facing Arab cinema including a shortage of funding for directors and producers, a relatively small number of cinemas across the Arab world, weaknesses in film distribution, and challenges to freedom of expression in the form of informal self – censorship on the part of artists and state sanctioned censorship, the mood was one of intense engagement, commitment, and a sense of creative fervor – despite the many challenges facing the industry.
Ali Jaafar, director of Quinta Communications insisted on the primacy of film quality, lamenting that many films emerging from the Arab world were lacking. He noted that it is essential to have more Arab films that crossover and appeal to audiences outside of the Arab world such as the successful Lebanese film Caramel, and that there is a shortage of internationally recognized Arab film actors.
[inset_left] “I don’t buy that censorship is the issue… Look at Iranian films. Censorship is just a challenge, it’s not the main issue."[/inset_left]
He criticized the artistic attitude of ‘auteur’ filmmakers who he complained often show a lack of respect for basic issues of character development and plot, and insisted that the Arab world can do much better as it has plenty of talent that is either not being tapped or not reaching beyond the boundaries of the Arab world. He stressed however, ‘I am not bashing auteurs. I love auteurs, when they’re talented.”
Interestingly, while others at the panels spoke out against the negative impacts of censorship, Jaafar said, “I don’t buy that censorship is the issue… Look at Iranian films. Censorship is just a challenge, it’s not the main issue. And financing isn’t either. You have festivals giving money away.” He refers to the Dubai, Doha, and Abu Dhabi film festivals.
Other panelists responded insisting that censorship does impact the quality of films and that the funding available from these film festivals and others like them is rarely sufficient. They added that the film industry still fails to adequately support Arab filmmakers.
Jason Wood, Director of Programming at Curzon spoke generally of the challenges facing arthouse cinemas who must balance a desire to screen innovative, original, challenging films with the commercial demands of sustaining profits. He explained that he operates on his own cultural subsidy, in the sense that he chooses to screen popular films such as the Dark Knight periodically so that he can then afford to screen artistic films that attract smaller audiences.
Wood also noted that audiences need to come and watch arthouse cinema otherwise cinemas cannot afford to screen independent films, and explained that film distribution is at a turning point due to ‘the revolution that digital cinema has provided… We’re at the tip of an iceberg point.’ He also lamented that films often only have a few days to prove themselves financially “Films need time to breathe, time to find an audience” He said.
Speakers at the forum discussed some of the gems of the Arab cinema world, noting that Palestinian-Israeli Elias Suleiman is a particularly talented filmmaker who makes challenging, original films but that despite this some of his films do not receive the attention they deserve.
The strengths of Iranian film were discussed, particularly the filmmaker Asghar Farhadi and A Separation which was made on a small budget but achieved great success in the US, Europe, and at film festivals. Abbas Kiarostami was also mentioned as a great of Iranian cinema who makes films which ‘crossover’ and attract interest outside of the Iranian world and the Middle East, and that Arab cinema needs a figure like him.
Safar: A Journey Through Popular Arab Cinema screens Arab films until September 27 at the ICA, located on the Mall. See ica.org.uk for details.
