Arab women through the lens – it’s personal

Malmø Sept. 30 – Oct. 4 2016

“My camera is my weapon” says film director Samaher Alqadi from Palestine, as she presents her latest film on stage to an impressed jury in Malmö, Sweden at the Malmö Arab Film Festival. Together with four other filmmakers Samaher Alqadi got a chance to pitch her documentary film on women fighting for their basic human rights to key influencers from the Danish, Swedish and European film and TV industry.

The idea is to connect the film makers with industry experts so as to enhance the documentaries and further develop the production and widen the distribution. In their own different way, the five directors all seek out to capture the dilemmas and challenges of being a woman from and in the Arab world.

Marwa Zein is a Sudanese director based in Cairo. Sudan has for long been beset by conflict. Since the 1950ies the country has generated millions of refugees. Women are silenced, oppressed and lack basic rights. With a camera in hand Marwa Zein manages to document a story of a group of female football player in Sudan.

“I want to show a true image of what is happening right now in Sudan. This is not about the conflict. This is an everyday life story. I am portraying a woman with hopes and dreams like you and me. Sudanese women are facing a lot of obstacles – but they are strong enough to fight back” says Marwa Zein.

Not many documentaries originate from Sudan and other Arab countries, where media and freedom of speech is under pressure. According to Rasmus Steen, Programme Manager at IMS, the limited space for free expression makes it even more important to support the production of documentary films.

“Documentary film tells stories in a way that differs from most other media genres. Documentaries can provide historical records of events, big or small, investigate unknown territory or portray ordinary lives of people around the world through in-depth narrative storytelling. That is why we for several years has worked to support documentary at IMS.”

Rasmus Steen also see documentaries as a platform for alternative voices and views. Often the story line portrays tendencies and developments in society that are usually overlooked or more difficult to cover in mainstream media.

Sharing personal stories through film

The five directors – a side from being all female – also share another common denominator: They try to grasp their own roots and the complexities that each of their countries are facing. Take Dina Naser from Jordan, who is pitching her film about a Syrian girl spending most of her teenage years in a refugee camp in Jordan.

“With my film I wish to break down stereotypes. I want to open people’s eyes and make them see that we are all just people – weather or not we also have a label of being a refugee,” she states.

For Dina Naser it is all very personal. “My parents were Palestinian refugees. Subconsciously, I find myself searching for their story and I see this film as my chance to understand where my parents came from – to have a glimpse of what they went through,” says Dina Naser.

According to her there are limited opportunities for filmmakers in the Middle East, so she is pleased to have the opportunity to meet peers at the Arab Film Festival. “I have met really interesting people who share my passion and understand my story. People who can help me bring it forward and to reach a wider audience,” Dina Naser says.

Indeed, a strong story is not enough to make a good documentary film.

“A film is not a film until it has reached an audience. That is the reason why we are here. We support documentaries financially, we connect editors and filmmakers and ensure that productions have the sufficient quality to make a difference for the audience,” explains Rasmus Steen from IMS.

Four out of the five films pitched at Malmö Arab Film Festival has since entered into co-production with Danish production companies who will take the films forward and ensure they reach a wider audience.

The festival screened a total of 120 features, short films and documentaries from all over the world, with competition sections, panoramas, retrospectives and special screenings. The program also consists of exhibitions, workshops, seminars, and celebrations.

Malmö Arab Film Festival is one of the largest public film festivals in Southern Sweden.

IMS has supported documentaries since 2005 with support from The Danish-Arab Partnership Programme.