Thanks to the Institut Français, we'll be screening 5 short films for free! 🎥

Through the eyes of young filmmakers, this program explores the plural, vibrant, often disrupted Middle East, but always driven by dazzling creativity. These works offer a striking panorama of new perspectives, bold aesthetics and powerful stories that paint another face of the Middle East, between crisis, memory and creation.

The total running time is 1h47.

Synopsis: 

There Is No Friend’s House (2023) Directed by Abbas Taheri 🇮🇷
Sarah and Mehri, two friends, set themselves a perilous challenge in high school. But not only are they very young women, they’re also Iranians from families with completely opposing views.

If the Sun Drowned Into an Ocean of Clouds (2023) Directed by Wissam Charaf 🇱🇧
Beirut, Lebanon. On the waterfront’s construction site, security agent Raed must prevent passing-by walkers from accessing the seaside. Yet as the horizon becomes each day more stifled by the construction, Raed makes peculiar encounters—mere dreams, or symbols of his desires?

An Orange from Jaffa (2024) Directed by Mohammed Almughanni 🇵🇸
Mohammed, a young Palestinian, embarks on a tense journey to cross an Israeli checkpoint with a temporary Polish residence card. After being turned down by other drivers, Farouk, a well-meaning taxi driver, offers him a ride. However, they soon encounter severe trouble when Israeli soldiers discover Mohammed’s previous failed attempt to cross. The film powerfully captures the oppressive reality of life under occupation and the personal costs involved.

Les chenilles (2023) Directed by Noel Keserwany, Michelle Keserwany 🇱🇧
Two women meet as waitresses and tentatively become friends. They are both from the Levant and living in exile in France. A film about the Silk Road, about exploitation – then and now – and about female solidarity, friendship and solace.

Shadows (2024) Directed by Rand Beiruty 🇮🇶
At a crowded airport, Ahlam, a 14-year-old mother, is running away from Baghdad, the only place she’s ever known. As she fights the shadows lurking around her, she reflects on her journey to reclaim her life.

📅 Thursday 11 June
⏰ 6:15PM - 8:00PM
📍 Alliance Française Christchurch, 275 Cashel Street
💳FREE (koha appreciated)