26 minutes / Color
Arabic / English subtitles
Release: 2001
Copyright: 2001
This film explores the hopes and aspirations of Arab men and women as embodied in the dreams and realities of flying.
Captain Hatem's childhood dream was realized when he became a pilot for Iraqi Airlines. But now because of the sanctions against Iraq, the airline doesn't fly, nor does he. So Captain Hatem has started a small business trying to make do as best he can, and dreams of being able to get back into the sky.
In Gaza, Miral is an illegal resident in her own country. Without papers she can't travel between the West Bank and Gaza strip. Her only way out of Gaza is by working as an airline stewardess on short flights around the Middle East.
Like so many Syrian young people, Ammar believes that he has no future in his country. We follow him through his final weeks in Damascus as he says goodbye to friends and family to take a job in Dubai working for Gulf Air.
"[ARAB DIARIES] presents a rare critical insight into contemporary life in the Arab world. The quality of sound and cinematography of this series is superb. The films contain a rich source of information on a culture that is often guarded from the west. It dares to bring up strong issues without imposing judgment on the values discussed. The series is a good example of how much more we have to learn about the Middle East - the films managed to raise an eyebrow once or twice, even though I spent almost 20 years in that region. Highly recommended to all kinds of libraries, especially academic libraries with undergraduate studies related to culture, anthropology, or Middle Eastern studies, as well as libraries with internship programs in the Middle East."—Educational Media Reviews Online
A five-part documentary series that presents a fresh, insightful picture of contemporary life across the Arab world.
Various | 2001 | 130 minutes | Color | Arabic | English subtitles
The story of a woman caught up in a cycle of pregnancies because of social pressure to produce a male child, and two other stories of babies, in need, or absent, in Arab countries.
Suheir Farraj, Abbas Hashim, and Abeer Esber | 2001 | 26 minutes | Color | Arabic | English subtitles
A Moroccan woman confronts her liberal bourgeois family and their servants about the relationship between them.
Yto Barrada | 2001 | 26 minutes | Color | Arabic | English subtitles
Four young women face issues of independence and empowerment in Algeria, Egypt, and Lebanon.
Ali Bilail, Samia Chala, and Muriel Aboulrouss | 2001 | 26 minutes | Color | Arabic | English subtitles
