More than four years after the beginning of the processes known globally as the 'Arab Spring', the balance sheet in political terms is not very encouraging. There are hardly any reasons for optimism, with the exception of Tunisia, although changes in social aspects can certainly be glimpsed, with the increasing presence of women in the cinema being an advance to be taken into account.
Taking advantage of the celebration in March of International Working Women's Day, at Tres Culturas we are once again dedicating our Tuesday Cinema programme to films directed by women, specifically to the work of a series of filmmakers who demonstrate the changes we have just mentioned. The work of one of them, Militantsby the Tunisian Sonia Chamkhi, serves as the title of this cycle.
While there have always been female directors in the Arab world, the fact is that they now find it easier to realise their projects. The upheaval created by the various 'Arab Springs' has to some extent changed social practices, allowing society to be somewhat more open and receptive to accepting women in public and creative roles. Moreover, there is more access to funding and more possibilities to showcase work, with new film festivals springing up in Persian Gulf countries, such as those in Doha in Qatar, or Dubai and Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates.
This opportunity has been seized by some filmmakers, who apply their gaze to portray not only the situation and role of women in the context of the uprisings (as is the case of the films that make up our programme), but also use a broader approach, analysing them as active social subjects, a condition that is always controversial.
With the works that will be screened in March -some of them for the first time in Spain- Tres Culturas wants to continue dedicating a space to the work of Arab women filmmakers, as we did last January and a year ago with authors such as Haifaa al-Mansour, Hala Lotfi or Kamla Abu Zekry, who are now joined by Hanan Abdalla, Sara Ishaq or the already well-known Nadia el-Fani.
Tuesday, 10 March
The Mulberry House (The house of mulberry trees).
Directed by Sara Ishaq. Yemen, 2013, 75 minutes.
Sara, half Scottish, half Yemeni, returns to Yemen in the midst of a revolution in the making. As she tries to redefine her identity and her relationship with her father, she decides to shift the focus of her documentary to include the impact of the revolution on her family's life.
This film has been translated and subtitled into Spanish by the Fundación Tres Culturas.
Screening from 8.30 p.m. onwards. Free admission until full capacity is reached.
Portuguese