All wrapped up with the Lady Gaga starrer ‘Joker: Folie à Deux’, Tunisian gem ‘Aïcha’ by Mehdi Barsaoui and ‘Wolfs’ starring George Clooney and Brad Pitt — talk about a festival for the stars!
Read MoreRe-evaluating the power of cinema: Amos Gitai's 'Shikun' at Berlinale
If you’d asked me a year ago did I believe cinema could change the world, I would have answered you with an enthusiastic “yes!” Now? Read on to find out…
Read MoreAmos Gitai’s ‘Shikun’ promises to offer a much-needed exercise in peace
The latest film by the prolific filmmaker, theater director, architect and artist has just been announced as a Berlinale Special at the upcoming Berlin Film Festival.
Read MoreSix films to help explain the current Gaza/Israel conflict
While festivals throughout the Region, and beyond, senselessly cancel their latest edition “in support” of the Palestinian cause, the best thing they could do would be to finally showcase cinema from Palestinian and Israeli auteurs, as well as one American filmmaker, who can collectively help explains the situation and smother the fire of warmongers with culture and education.
Read MoreFrom the MIME.news archives: "Cinema is there to tell a story": Amjad Al Rasheed on Jordan's Oscar submission 'Inshallah a Boy'
For those of us who believe in the power of cinema as a social change maker, Al Rasheed's film — a winner in the Critics' Week in Cannes where it world premiered and the Jordanian submission to the Best International Feature Oscar race — is an important piece of the 7th art.
Read MoreBasil Khalil’s 'Ave Maria' : Questioning the Rules with Humor and Insight
What would happen if the Israelis and Palestinians really needed each other? How would that change the world?
Well, I’m cheating a bit here, those are not really the questions that Basil Khalil asks through his charming, funny, beautifully made short film 'Ave Maria'. A short film with a hefty presence in Cannes in 2015, where it premiered in Competition. The film went on to be nominated for the 2016 Oscars in the Live Action Short category.
Read More'Faces, Places' in Cannes: “It’s the Miracle of Cinema!” -- Agnès Varda and JR Bring Us ‘Visages, Villages’
“Did you like our little film?”
Agnès Varda grabs my hand and holds it between hers as I try to exit the room where I’ve just spent the last ten minutes interviewing her and artist JR about their cinematic collaboration ‘Visages, Villages’ (’Faces, Places’) which premiered “Out of Competition” in Cannes. We may have learned in the film that the filmmaker has cute little feet, but I now know she also has lovely, kind hands.
“Of course I did! Why would I have wanted to interview you otherwise?!” I hear myself say, but almost as soon as the words come out, I realize I’m telling a half truth. Yes, I loved this film, its simple premise and grand cinematography and I relished the mutual respect the legendary 88 year-old filmmaker and the anonymous 33 year-old photographer show for each other throughout their road movie around the French countryside. To me, they are the new Beatles, the rockstars of cinema’s here and now. But I also craved to be in the presence of Varda and JR and would have come to interview them even if I hadn’t enjoyed the film as much as I did. It’s Madame Varda, after all, and JR, the artist — wrap your head around this — with a million Instagram followers!
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