Basma (Arabic: بسم, Hebrew: בסמ"ה) is an Israeli-Arab local council located in the Wadi Ara area of the Haifa District. The local council was formed in 1995 through the consolidation of the villages of Barta'a West, Ein as-Sahala, and Muawiya; Basma is an acronym of the villages' names. According to the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics, the locality had a population of 7,900 at the end of 2005.
Plot
The use of a foreign policy established in the mid-1990s by the US government has begun to spiral out of control since 9/11. Stories of Extraordinary Rendition, dubbed "the outsourcing of torture," have damaged America's image as a bastion of human rights advocacy with one scandal after another. The Strange Case of Salman abd al Haqq is a fictional short film based on the testimony and experiences of torture victims who have fortunately been released to tell their tales. It tells the story of its fictional protagonist Salman, who finds himself jailed and interrogated by the brutal Egyptian secret service in Cairo because of his alleged involvement with three suspected terrorists. Meanwhile, through flashbacks, we learn about Salman's past, from his up-bringing by devoutly Muslim parents in the wake of 9/11 to an identity crisis exacerbated by a year studying at a religious school in Saudi Arabia. The Strange Case touches on issues such as the morality of torture, the effectiveness of the War on Terror, the role of Arabs in American society and the struggle between traditionalism and progressiveness in the Muslim world. In February 2007, it will offer you a nuanced and intriguing perspective of an issue that is of immense importance to 21st Century America.
Keywords: cairo-egypt, cia, extraordinary-rendition, guantanamo, guantanamo-bay, rendition, terrorism, torture
Plot
Two strangers try to solve a mystery that revolves around both of their tragic pasts. At the heart of the mystery lies a mystic board with an ability to kill.
Keywords: ouija-board
Plot
A wild family tale: 15-year-old Mareike lives with her mother Jutta (43), her sister Franca (9), her brother Tim (6) and some chickens in a suburb of Mannheim. Jutta's job as a detective at the local department store doesn't pay much, so the family is always a little short of money. Mareike's ambitious plans to become a model and to participate in an expensive training are therefore problematic. And momentarily Mareike is rather chubby and doesn't really look like the classical beauty. But nevertheless she is prepared to go to any length to have her way and is full of ideas. Jutta hasn't overcome the death of her husband yet, nor have the children. Now she tries to keep her beginning love affair to her colleague Winnie a secret, but doesn't really feel happy about it. Mareike attempts to earn money for her model "education", and jobs around at the weekly market to prove to her mother how serious she is. There she meets Samir, a German-Arabian boy who Mareike immediately falls in love with. To impress him Mareike signs up for a belly dancing class, distrustfully watched by Jutta, who is nerved by her daughter's body fixation. But dancing gives Mareike a sudden boost of confidence and a lust for life, which Jutta must notice positively. And then suddenly Mareikes hair starts to fall out - a shock. An autoimmune disorder is diagnosed. There is no cure. Mareike's world is shattered...
Keywords: female-nudity, teenage-girl
Plot
The biblical tale of Joseph is told from an Egyptian perspective in this interesting character study. In this film, Joseph is called Ram. Ram, tired of his family's backward superstitious life, and tired of being picked on by his brothers, wants to go to Egypt to study agriculture. His brothers travel with him across Sinai, but then suddenly sell him to Ozir, an Egyptian who works for a Theban military leader, Amihar. Amihar is impressed by Ram's drive and personal charm and so grants Ram some desolate land outside the capital. Ram soon finds himself a pawn in the political and sexual games between Amihar and his wife Simihit, a high priestess of the Cult of Amun.
Keywords: 14th-century-b.c., adultery, agriculture, akhenaten, ancient-egypt, barley-field, based-on-biblical-story, biblical, bound-and-gagged, brother-against-brother
Plot
Leila is a university student, born and raised in Canada. However her parents still hold on to their traditional Palestinian customs, and her father will not allow her to go out after 5 p.m. This culture clash comes to a head when Leila goes to a dance audition and is chosen to be in the performance.
Keywords: audition, canada, culture-clash, dancing, family-relationships, independent-film, palestinian, student
...Time for the end of innocence