The screening will take place between the towns of Malmö and Helsingborg from October 1 to 4.
Egyptian documentary From Meir, to Meir by Maggie Morgan and Salam’s Home by Hanadi Elyan will screen at the upcoming edition of Arab Women Film Days.
The event will be held between the towns of Malmö and Helsingborg from October 1 to 4.
From Meir, to Meir will be screened in Helsingborg on Sunday, October 2 at 5 PM. (GMT +2) Sweden time and in Malmö on Tuesday, October 4 at 5:15 PM, in the presence of director Maggie Morgan, while Salma’s Home will be shown in Helsingborg on Sunday, October 2, at 6:30 PM, and Malmö on Monday, October 3, at 7 PM, in the presence of the leading actress Juliet Awad.
From Meir, to Meir landed its world premiere at Aswan International Women Film Festival, where it also won the NUT Award for Best Egyptian Film Supporting Women’s Work. Also, it was awarded the Jury Prize at the National Egyptian Film Festival. From Meir, to Meir was featured at the Festival du Cinéma Africain de Khouribga (FCAK) in Morocco and Cairo Cinema Days.
Shot between 2008 and 2020, From Meir, to Meir follows Morgan’s journey to the titular village of Meir in Assiut, where her grandparents were born and lived up until they left for Alexandria.
Through a series of interviews as well as the director’s own personal archives, viewers learn about Meir’s exceptional history. The village was once home to various influential individuals, including Dr Benjamin Behman, founder of the Behman Psychiatric Hospital.
The focus of the documentary, however, is not Meir’s history but the lives, troubles, and traditions of those who still live in the small town, most of whom dream of leaving home in search of better opportunities abroad.
Directed by Egyptian filmmaker Maggie Morgan, the film stars Nasser Loza, Shahira Loza, Romany Abdeltawab, and Samir El Qommos. It is produced by The Pianola, and features Zaki Aref, and Shady Fikry as DoPs, with music by Muller Hany. Mad Solutions handles the film’s distribution.
Salam’s Home is set in Jordan and revolves around three women with distinct personalities. Salma (Juliet Awad) is a talented baker living alone in a large old house overlooking downtown Amman running a nonprofitable home-based bakery, and her daughter Farah (Sameera Asir) is a young working mother with marital problems with her husband Malek (Firas Taybeh).
Their lives are disrupted by the death of Salma’s ex-husband. The funeral occurs at his current wife’s house, Lamia (Rania Kurdi), an aspiring socialite obsessed with social media. After the funeral, uncle Emad (Waleed Jizawi) brings shocking information to light leading to territorial clashes and finally forcing the three women to accept some harsh realities and take control of their lives.
Written and directed by Hanadi Elyan, Salma’s Home has received Best Feature Film Global Vision Award at Cinequest Film & Creativity Festival in San Jose, California. The film stars Juliet Awad, Sameera Asir, Rania Kurdi and Firas Taybeh, and is produced by Reel LA Productions (producer Nathan Bennett). MAD Solutions handles the film’s distribution in the Arab world.