Hussam Fahmy - Berlin

The seventieth session of the Berlin International Film Festival begins tomorrow, and with it the attention of fans and followers of international cinema to the German capital, which during the festival period witnesses press and mass performances of dozens of new films, in one of the most ancient festivals and public presence in the world.

In Berlin, the Arabs always attend, and this historical session was no exception, as the Arabs are present at the level of documentary and narrative cinema, short and even at the level of the jury.

Escape from Saudi Arabia
The first Arab film to participate is "Saudi Runaway" directed by German Susanna Regina Mawers, but it can be considered an Arab movie, first for its subject and second for the way it was filmed, as the movie tracks the diaries of a Saudi girl trying to escape from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia days before her marriage without her consent, This girl records her diaries with her own camera, so we can watch life with her under the siege and from behind a veil.

The film comes to stir controversy about the rights and freedoms of women in Saudi Arabia, especially after the recurrence of escape accidents over the past year.

Algeria revolution
The second film is important in terms of Arab participation. It is "Narges. A Diary of an Algerian Demonstrator" by Algerian Algerian director Karim Anouz, through which his personal camera also tracks the diaries of an Algerian girl, but the diaries here record the Algerian people's revolution against former Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, the Algerians desire for freedom, dignity and the peaceful transfer of power.

Karim Anouz is one of the leading directors of this year’s Berlin Festival, and his latest film, “Invisible Life,” won the “Look What” section of the Cannes International Film Festival last year.

Lebanese presence
Lebanon also continues to attend this year’s festival of Berlin, through a feature film called “As in Heaven as well as on Earth”, which is directed by the Lebanese Sarah Frances, who was born and studied in Beirut, and this film represents her second feature film after the movie September Birds produced in 2013.

The film, which was filmed in black and white, brings together a group of people wandering in an empty land, above them the sky and no other, and through their interaction together it seems as if we are witnessing the beginning of life on the planet from the beginning, and the formation of ideas, nationalities, religions and everything, where man appears at the center of the world at a time We realize that we are just a very small part of a vast universe, and another Lebanese movie is added to this film, but it also competes in the short films arena, which is the movie "The Fall" by Akram Zuaiter.

Egyptian short films
Egyptian participation in this year's Berlin International Film Festival is limited to two short films, the first of which is titled "Most of the Following is Real," directed by Majed Nader, which is a story about a man who returns to search for his brother in the old neighborhood that houses their childhood home.

The second is the movie "The Promised", directed by Ahmed Al-Ghunaimi, which takes place in the remnants of the historic city of Al-Fustat, through a constant struggle between residents of the illegal neighborhoods on the outskirts of the city in exchange for the city guards belonging to the police.

In the jury
In conclusion, we must mention the distinguished Arab participation in the festival jury. The Palestinian director Ann Marie Gasser participates as a member of the jury of the festival's official competition, whose first movie, "Salt of this Sea", participated in the official competition of the Cannes Festival in 2008.

In addition to the participation of her second film "Lama Shoftak" at the Berlin Festival in 2013, and finally her third movie "Duty" participated in the official competition for the Locarno Festival in 2017, and it is mentioned that these three films represented Palestine in the Oscars in the years of its release.

In addition to the Palestinian director, Egyptian director Hala Lotfi also participates in the jury of the festival's first work award. It is noteworthy that the last film has the name "Exit for the Day" and he participated in the 2013 Berlin Festival, in addition to her work as producer, and her latest film is called "External Night" Directed by Ahmed Abdullah, it was shown during the Toronto Festival in 2018.