The selection of short films has been showcased at the international film festivals, including Cannes, Berlin, Venice, Locarno, Toronto and Dubai.
OSN has announced that the pay-TV network is releasing over 30 titles of award-winning independent Arab short films complete with subtitles, exclusively on its platform starting July 31. All movies will also be available on the OSN streaming app.
The selection of short films has been showcased at the world’s most prestigious international film festivals, including Cannes, Berlin, Venice, Locarno, Toronto and Dubai.
To kick-start the list, Karouma is an Emirati animation that tells the story of a young and gifted boy who is striving to break through and leave his parents nest to pursue his dreams and realise his full potential.
Ayny, a Jordanian stop-motion animation, tells the story of two young boys running away from their mother to play music only to get caught up in the dangers of war.
Palestinian Drama, Five Boys and a Wheel, takes us to Jordan where a young father has to help his son out of a petty conflict with their neighbours. The film is based on American author Raymond Carver’s short story ‘Bicycles, Muscles, Cigarettes’.
The Rifle, the Jackal, the Wolf, and the Boy, a Lebanese Drama, is a coming-of-age parable that considers the ethics of seemingly innocent violence in a warning against the threats of telling lies, misjudging enemies, and engaging in actions that spread the cycle of vengeance.
Another period drama is The Parrot, a Jordanian film that tells the story of a ‘Mizrahi’ Jewish family, that emigrate from Morocco to try to settle into their new life in Haifa, Palestine in 1948, to find an abandoned parrot in their new home.
Rolla Karam, Interim Chief Content Officer at OSN said: “We’re thrilled to be able to provide our subscribers with the very best of Arab independent cinema, giving these short films the exposure they deserve. Independent movies are often limited to special screenings and film festivals so we are proud to be able to bring this form of art to viewers in the region and to champion these skilled Arab filmmakers by showcasing over 30 of their short films on our platform, on both OSN Yahala Cinema and OSN’s streaming app.”
