by Maria Staiano-Daniels
Daily Lobo
What do you see when you think of the Middle East?
For many Americans, images from movies and the news may spring to mind: veiled women, angry young men with machine guns, Palestinian children throwing stones at Israeli tanks.
Jamila Davey said she organized the Middle East Film Festival partially to combat stereotypes like these.
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The festival, which starts Friday and runs through Thursday at Guild Cinema, features 33 films and four guest speakers.
Davey is especially concerned about the stereotypical view of Arab women. She said people think of Arab women as either submissive, cloaked figures or as alluring and exotic. She hopes the festival shows how women in the Middle East can be strong and independent.
Davey said one-third of the festival's films were made by women.
Mona Mikhail, professor of Arabic literature and women's studies at New York University, is one of these women. Mikhail will present her film, "Live on Stage: A Century and a Half of Theater in Egypt," on Sunday. This documentary explores the thriving Egyptian theater scene through the most influential directors, playwrights and actors, focusing on the role of women in the theater, she said.
Mikhail, born and raised in Egypt, said she has never experienced any kind of repression or discrimination because she is a woman.
"I only found encouragement," she said, adding that in some departments in Egyptian universities there are more women than men.
Filmmaker Jess Ghannam addresses another set of preconceptions: those about the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. His documentary, "Until When...," which he will present on Friday, examines the effects of the Israeli occupation on four generations of Palestinians.
Ghannam said there are many misconceptions about the situation in the Middle East, but he hopes to bring a human face to the experience of living under occupation.
"There's something dehumanizing in the American media about Palestinians," he said. "They are real human beings struggling for dignity and self-respect."
Ghannam, a psychoanalyst, said many Palestinians suffer from chronic post-traumatic stress.
"It's like living in a war zone 24-7," he said.
Ghannam will also present the film "Rainbow," which follows a Palestinian cameraman chronicling the devastation in Gaza through the people he meets.
Although "Until When..." and "Rainbow" focus on a military conflict, Davey wants the film festival to be about more than just images of war and terrorism we see on the news.
"We want to bring forward the culture, the way of life, the faces of the Middle East," she said.
Davey said many Americans don't know about the rich cultural and artistic traditions of the region.
Mikhail agreed.
"Not too many people are aware of the long and prestigious history of the theater in Egypt," she said, adding that many don't know the Middle East has any interest in the arts.
Mikhail will also show the documentary "Umm Kulthum, a Voice Like Egypt" on Sunday. This film deals with the life and work of the famous Egyptian singer, who, according to Davey, embodies the ideal of art.
Most of all, Davey hopes the film festival will help Americans transcend the foreignness of the Middle East and experience the rich cultural heritage of the region.
"We share this planet with the people of the Middle East," she said. "We should respect and celebrate the culture of the Arab world."
