PLACES/FACES FILM SCREENING AT ALLIANCE FRANCAISE: DREAMAWAY (DIR. Marouan Omara, Johanna Domke) on August 28
My PLACES/FACES film program returns this month with DREAMAWAY, a documentary “saturated with elements of surreal fiction” directed by Marouan Omara, Johanna Domke.
I chose this film because I’ve been thinking about the state of tourism, especially in current times, and what happens to a place that solely relies on tourism during a crisis.
The screening will be followed by a discussion with Moustafa Zakaria, a Dubai based filmmaker. We will share our thoughts about the film and relate the themes of the film to Dubai, and invite audience members to join in the discussion.
Tickets:
AED 35, free for Alliance Francaise students with promocode COMP, AED 15 for Alliance Francaise Library members with promocode CINEM
You can buy your tickets here.
Saturday, August 28 at 5pm
DREAMAWAY
Directors: Marouan Omara, Johanna Domke
Germany, Egypt | 2018 | 83 min, Arabic with English subtitles
Once a popular holiday destination, Sharm El Sheikh is now desolate, emptied of tourists. And yet, the resort’s stewards continue to deliver energetic morning exercise routines. The elaborately painted black-and-gold ‘tiger-man’ waits to be photographed. And slickly dressed DJs prepare sets for empty clubs. All their salaries have been slashed, but something is better than nothing. The legacy of the Arab Spring and the confusion that ensued looms large over this hazy desert landscape.
Meanwhile, a lonely truck transports the strange figure of a monkey, to whom the young hotel workers follow around and reveal their feelings – dreaming of love and the lives they want to live. Wonderfully inventive and utterly unique, Dreamaway blends magical realism with a fascinating reflection on the state of Egypt today.
NOTE: COVID-19 guidelines for all the screenings:
The seats are limited to 70 people with 2 metres social distance.
Face masks must be worn at all times.
Previous PLACES/FACES screenings:
July 10 - NASIR (Arun Karthick)
June 13 - MADE IN DUBAI: SHORT FILMS by Amirah Tajdin & MUSIC VIDEOS by Philip Jamal Rachid
June 12 - A FALLIBLE GIRL (Conrad Clark)