proudly present

Middle East Movie Nights – Diaspora

This is the last serving of this year’s run of the Middle East Movie Nights; a collaboration between the NUS Middle East Institute and The Arts House which is on its third year now.  The December screenings feature a double bill of movies that focus on the lives of Arabs who live in non-Middle Eastern countries. The first of the diaspora-themed movies is:

Le Grand Voyage – Theatrical Trailer

Director & Writer : Ismaël Ferroukhi | Cast: Nicolas Cazalé, Mohamed Majd and Jacky Nercessian | 2004
| France, Morocco, Bulgaria, Turkey | 108 min | Type of film: Drama | Arabic and French with English Subtitles | Rating PG

Out of filial duty and a sense of adventure, Reda, a young French man, agrees to accompany his elderly Moroccan father on the hajj — the pilgrimage to Mecca. It is an obligatory trip for every good Muslim who can afford it. The only catch: the journey from France to Saudi Arabia will be by car. Initially, Reda doesn’t understand why his father doesn’t simply take a plane and be done with it. His father responds that the pilgrimage should be as arduous a journey as possible to show the believer’s faith. And, so it proves to be. Along the way the father and son will cross national borders, seas, even continents, but no distance is greater than the one they cross to come to terms with each other.

Venice Film Festival 2004 – Winner of Luigi De Laurentis Award

Newport International Film Festival 2005 – Winner of Jury Award

Mar del Plata Film Festival 2005 – Winner of Best Actor and Best Film

BAFTA Awards 2006 – Nominated for Best Film not in the English Language

Free Admission via compulsory registration HERE

Registration Desk open from 6:30pm onwards

Do arrive early for registrations in order to avoid delay of the screening