CinemaNa is a monthly series which showcases diverse films from the Arab world alongside discussions with the filmmakers and faculty.
NYU Abu Dhabi’s Film and New Media Program has collaborated with Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi to announce the fourth season of the contemporary Arab cinema series called CinemaNa.
It is a monthly series which showcases diverse films from the Arab world alongside discussions with the filmmakers and faculty.
In its fourth season, the line-up includes Scales by Shahad Ameen, Sofia by Meryem Benm’Barek-Aloïsi and You Will Die at Twenty by Amjad Abu Alala.
Scales, which will be screened online on October 12, is the story of a young strong-willed girl, Hayat, who lives in a poor fishing village governed by a dark tradition in which every family must give one daughter to the sea creatures who inhabit the waters nearby. In turn, the sea creatures are hunted by the men of the village.
Saved from this fate by her father, Hayat is considered a curse on the village and grows up an outcast. Nevertheless, she does not surrender to this fate and fights for a place within her village. After her mother gives birth to a baby boy, Hayat must accept the brutal custom of giving herself to the sea creatures or finding a way to escape.
Sofia, which will be screened online on November 1, follows a 20-year-old girl who lives with her parents in Casablanca. Following a denial of pregnancy, she finds herself illegally giving birth to a baby out of wedlock. The hospital leaves her 24 hours to provide the papers of the father of the child before alerting the authorities.
You Will Die at Twenty, which will be screened online on December 7, is set in Sudan, province of Aljazira. When Muzamil was born, a prophecy by the holy man of the village predicts that he will die when he is 20 years old. Muzamil’s father cannot stand the doom and travels away from home. Sakina, as a single mother, raises her son with over protection. One day, Muzamil turns 19.
