Women and gender: A selection of films Film / Cinema

Liverpool Arab Arts Festival presents two evenings of documentaries from BBC Arabic Festival 2015, an annual event that presents topical short films and documentaries from across the Arab world. This year’s applicants were asked to submit work along the theme of ‘Rulers and Ruled: Power in a Changing Arab World’ and to expressly explore the struggles for power and control that continue to shake the region. Each evening presents films and discussion relating to sub-themes that emerged in the selected works - 'Women and Gender' and 'Cities and Chaos: After the Revolt'.

Pregnant and in Chains
Christine Garabedian

Through exclusive interviews and undercover footage, BBC Arabic exposes the hidden fate of women who have broken the United Arab Emirates’ strict laws on sex outside marriage.

Land of Men
Khalifa Ali

An exploration of the opinions of both men and women on the subject of women’s rights after the revolution in Libya. The collapse of Gadhafi’s regime brought a new hope to women but many felt the reality fell short of their optimistic vision.

Ibn Bnoot
Mina Magdy

A fantastical comedy that imagines a world in which women are the dominant sex, controlling men’s lives and choices. This inverse world, while presenting a comical juxtaposition, highlights the issue of women’s rights and subjugations across patriarchal societies.

Sisa, Iron Lady
Aly ElSotohy

Sisa’s husband died while she was pregnant with their first child. This short report tells the extraordinary story of how she has spent the past 43 years dressing as a man in order to work and support her child.

The Great Safae
Randa Maroufi

A fictional, experimental documentary inspired by a real person. Referred to as ‘The Great Safae’, she was a transvestite who spent part of her life working as a domestic servant for the director’s family. Throughout this time, her ‘true’ sexual identity eluded everyone in the house.

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