Forming a Film Fest

Rabih El-Khoury discusses his love for Arab cinema, and shares his appreciation for great storytelling while curating the first edition of Arab Cinema Week

When Rabih El-Khoury was asked to curate the first edition of Arab Cinema Week hosted at Cinema Akil, it was a no-brainer. “The great thing about Cinema Akil is that it has been championing Arab cinema for several years, either on its premises or in the pop-ups, and not just in Dubai, but also in Abu Dhabi in Sharjah. So, I thought we should try to explore stories which have not been told and see who might show up.”

El-Khoury studied journalism in Beirut, and he really enjoyed one of his film classes. After graduation, through a series of fortunate circumstances, he started curating different projects, including opening the first arthouse cinema in Lebanon, and these projects also exposed him to a lot more of what Arab cinema has to offer. He felt that these films spoke to him and were a lot closer to his reality than a Swedish or Argentinian film.

“Even though our realities are different in Egypt, Algeria, the UAE, or Lebanon, I feel that these films were sharing our history, our stories, and our culture. Stepping away from any political instability around the region, our culture is so bright and so overwhelmingly beautiful.”

He wanted to extend this appreciation of what Arab cinema could offer an audience not only by inviting them to see the films, but to have the opportunity to meet and engage with the film makers.  After two years of the pandemic, filmmakers were looking forward to meeting the public in person, and the public was looking forward to having the chance to speak with the makers.  A considerable number of artists took the time to come to Dubai and present their films and meet with members of the audience. Some people came to watch films every night of the festival and El-Khoury said that a real community of film lovers was starting to grow.

FUTURE OF ARAB CINEMA
El-Khoury stressed the need to preserve culture. “We need to save our national heritage and that means creating an infrastructure for filmmakers and artists making their films today. That is still missing in the art world. Artists have to grab any available opportunities because there is no real infrastructure to support arts and culture in general, and filmmakers in particular.”

His advice for future filmmakers is to remain authentic to the stories that they tell, even when outside influences try to convince them to make changes. Second, be patient because that financial windfall you’re dreaming about to make your documentary won’t come immediately. Third, make good connections as work in the industry because you never know who will be able to help you tell your story in the future.

This article appeared in Issue 002 – the Men’s Edition