Independent Arab films are becoming increasingly easy for online viewers to access.
With cinemas closed and most people spending time at home amid the coronavirus pandemic, many organisations working with the film industry in the region have been making films available online, even hosting virtual Q&As and live sessions with directors.
For those looking to stream Arab films, here are six platforms to check out.
1. The Palestine Film Institute
Through its online platform, the Palestine Film Institute has been showing a feature by a Palestinian filmmaker every week since March, including films such as Ghost Hunting by Raed Andoni and Amer Shomali's The Wanted 18. Rashid Masharawi's Laila's Birthday is currently the film of the week. It tells the story of a judge who's forced to become a taxi driver when the government is unable to pay his salary. On the day of his daughter Laila's birthday, his wife insists that he come home early with a gift and a cake. While he sets out to come home on time for the special occasion, he's faced with the challenges of everyday life in Palestine.
2. Aflamuna
Led by Beirut DC, a cultural association for the development of independent Arab cinema, aflamuna, which is Arabic for "our films", is an initiative created by a group of Middle Eastern filmmakers and film institutions, as part of which a number of films have been made available.
"During these hard times – and hopefully long after they've passed – we will be bringing you some of the best, most thought-provoking and independently minded works of contemporary Arab cinema to enjoy for free on this website for a limited time," the team wrote on its website. Current films include 2017's I Used to Sleep on the Rooftop by Angie Obeid and I Want to See by Joana Hadjithomas and Khalil Joreige, among others. New films are released every 15 days.
3. Arab Fund for Arts and Culture
The Arab Fund for Arts and Culture (Afac) has also launched an initiative offering an online selection of Afac-supported independent Arab films and music albums for free.
The initiative has featured films such as Nation Estate, a sci-fi short film by Palestinian director Larissa Sansour; The Wanted 18, an animation / documentary by Palestinian director and cartoonist Shomali; and My Love Awaits Me by the Sea, a poetic fantasy documentary by Palestinian filmmaker Mais Darwazah.
For its sixth and final week (May 7 to 13), the programme features six films including Atlal, Algerian filmmaker Djamel Kerkar's debut feature film recollecting a dark period of Algeria's history; Fidai, a documentary by Algerian filmmaker Damien Ounouri chronicling the life of his great uncle El Hadi and his involvement in the NLF; Crossing the Seventh Gate, a documentary by Moroccan director Ali Essafi that draws an intimate poetic portrait of late vanguard Moroccan filmmaker Ahmed Bouanani; among others. The full programme, including films, dates and links, can be found here.
4. International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam
The International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) has made more than 300 films available to watch online for free, including documentaries from the Arab world. One of the featured films is the Egyptian documentary Happily Ever After directed by Ayman El Amir and Nada Riyadh. The movie follows the filmmaker's complicated love story amid the country's political events, asking the big question of whether she should stay or leave Egypt.
You can see IDFA's full list of films here.
5. Cinemoz
Cinemoz, a video-on-demand service from the Arab world, has an interesting selection of Arab films available, including films from Egypt's golden era of cinema, including those starring the likes of Abdel Halim Hafez, Omar Sharif and Faten Hamama, among others. Contemporary films include Asmaa starring Hend Sabri and the award-winning documentary film Gaza Surf Club. The platform also includes original series by its production arm, Moz Originals, such as Standup Baladi, a series of episodes with Lebanon's next generation of stand-up comedians, and Rabih TV, about a crew of four who are trying to put together a television series.
6. The Royal Film Commission Jordan
The Royal Film Commission Jordan has been making films by Jordanian and Arab filmmakers available through its Facebook page. The films are posted as links and, when possible, followed by a scheduled live Q&A session with the director. Films include Dalia Al Kury's powerful Privacy of Wounds, a documentary in which the Jordanian filmmaker reconstructs a prison cell in a Norwegian cellar where three former prisoners agree to be locked up to reveal their deepest feelings. The commission has most recently also launched a new series of conversations with figures from Arab cinema to discuss not just films, but about challenges facing filmmakers in the region.
7. Netflix
The streaming giant now has a growing selection of award-winning Arab films such as Wadjda by Saudi Arabia's first female director Haifaa Al Mansour, Omar by two-time Academy Award nominee Hany Abu-Assad, Where Do We Go Now? by Academy Award nominee Nadine Labaki, Very Big Shot by Mir-Jean Bou Chaaya, and Exterior/Night by Ahmad Abdalla. If you haven't seen those, we recommend you do.
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
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Wed, Aug 29:
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- Oman bt Nepal by 7 wickets
- UAE bt Singapore by 215 runs
Thu, Aug 30:
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- Hong Kong bt Singapore by 5 wickets
- Oman bt Malaysia by 2 wickets
Sat, Sep 1: UAE v Hong Kong; Oman v Singapore; Malaysia v Nepal
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Ahmad El Sayed is Senior Associate at Charles Russell Speechlys, a law firm headquartered in London with offices in the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Hong Kong.
Experience: Commercial litigator who has assisted clients with overseas judgments before UAE courts. His specialties are cases related to banking, real estate, shareholder disputes, company liquidations and criminal matters as well as employment related litigation.
Education: Sagesse University, Beirut, Lebanon, in 2005.
