Join Close Up for Exceptional Documentary Stories from the Middle East and North Africa, 5/2
Join CLOSE UP, a unique documentary development program for filmmakers from the Middle East and North Africa, for a conversation on three untold stories from Afghanistan, Iraq and Turkey.
Three film teams will discuss their works-in-progress, creative process and challenges in making documentaries in MENA. Our region is a place full of creativity and innovation. But it’s also an area experiencing immense social and political challenges. Our filmmakers confront the existing narrative and stimulate progressive change in their societies. CLOSE UP supports these artists’ courageous endeavors.
Sigal Yehuda, Founder & Executive Director of CLOSE UP, will moderate the conversation with:
• Ruzgar Buki (Director) & Ekin Calisir (Producer) – l’VE GOT THE POWER / Turkey
• Najiba Noori (Director) – REACHING FOR HER DREAM / Afghanistan
• Zainab Al-Hariri (Director) & Maythem Ridha (Co-Director, Producer) – 40 YEARS OF SILENCE / Iraq
• Bruni Burres – Founding Partner & Mentor
• Karen Sloe Goodman – Founder of Silver Sun Foundation & Close Up Supporter
FILMS – IN PRODUCTION:
l’VE GOT THE POWER
Amidst rising oppression and violence in Turkey, four friends seek healing after the tragic deaths of loved ones. The film aims to deepening the discussion around death and grief by illuminating a Middle Eastern queer perspective that creates space for reflection and healing.
REACHING FOR HER DREAM
Hawa, a spirited mother of six grown children, has recently turned 50 and is eager to create the life that was stolen from her when, at 13 she was forced to marry, Musa, 25 years her senior. Hawa now wants to educate herself, open a small business, take yoga classes, and be independent.
40 YEARS OF SILENCE
An Iraqi woman living in the UK returns to Iraq to discover why her father sacrificed himself 40 years ago in an attempt to assassinate Saddam Hussein, abandoning her as a six-year-old. Will this perilous journey finally heal her open wounds?