'Cinearabic' explores diversity, presents Arab cinematic history

Published: Wednesday, April 9, 1997

Wednesday, 4/9/97

Movies challenge stereotypes presented in Western media

By Ricky Herzog

Daily Bruin Contributor

Foreign films are more than French or Spanish movies with cryptic themes and fuzzy subtitles. Often they deal with other cultures and clear plots, and the Film and Television Archive proves this with their currently running showcase "Cinearabic," a collection of 21 films from the Arab world.

The series spans the entire existence of Arab film production, containing films from the 1930s through the 1990s. As archive public affairs assistant Elisabeth Greenbaum explains, it is the first series of its kind in Los Angeles and provides a rarely seen look at both classic and modern Arab films.

"We had an opportunity to really explore Arab cinema and show that this is a really diverse community and has a long cinematic history," Greenbaum says. "In particular Egyptian cinema, which has been around almost as long as cinema here in the United States. This is opening a door on a lot of great films from the '30s right through the '90s."

The fact that the series shows films spanning seven decades makes it a very diverse offering of movies. "Cinearabic" also achieves diversity through showcasing both well-known and more obscure films.

"We tried to get as many of the countries in the Arab world as possible," Greenbaum says. "We wanted to get a broad picture of what's going on in that part of the world and how it is reflected in cinema."

Because the films come from a wide array of countries, the series allows a more well-rounded look at Arab cultures. Films such as these can be the perfect way to learn more about countries of which some students may have little knowledge.

"Watching films from another culture is a really good way to get acquainted with that culture," UCLA Film and Television Archive programming coordinator David Pendleton says. "I think it's the second best way to learn about the country behind traveling there. Oftentimes you can get more out of watching fictional films created by Arabic filmmakers than by watching some sort of National Geographic documentary on the country."

The films are an important look at the art produced by the various Arab countries. They also serve as an important look into the everyday lives of the people behind these countries who are often the subject of numerous media reports.

"I think the films from Lebanon, Syria and Palestine are especially important because of all the media coverage of the current events taking place in these countries," Pendleton says. "It behooves people to know about that part of the world, especially Syria because it is somewhat demonized by the American media. The films allow you to see that people are there making art and living their daily lives like all of us."

A look behind media portrayal offers a unusually non-Western take on issues in the Arab world. Despite the fact that these films focus on people of different cultures with different perspectives, Greenbaum is not worried about audiences relating to these films. She is a bit apprehensive, however, about the films' subtitles.

"People shouldn't be so afraid of subtitles," Greenbaum says. "These films are every bit as good as anything that has come out of Hollywood in the past 50 years. Americans in general have a tendency to look at the Arab world as this monolithic, single-face, single-issue area and that's absolutely not the way it is. They show how things affect very ordinary people in everyday ways."

The films expose audiences to new ideas about old issues. But they also deal with universal themes that anyone can relate to, regardless of cultural background or personal bias.

"Culturally, the films are going to be different because they are reflecting a different culture," Greenbaum says. "But the stories are universal. Love stories are universal. Growing up and not knowing who you are and rediscovering your roots, that's universal. Having a fight with the tax man or the government, and just trying to survive in a world where the economy is falling apart -- these are things that everyone can relate to."

"And that's one of the great things about students having access to this on campus. They can come see these films that are in another language that take place in a much different part of the world and see reflections of their own lives."

FILM: The "Cinearabic" film series is currently screening through April 22 at UCLA's James Bridges Theater (formerly Melnitz Theater).