Join the Middle East Institute every Wednesday in July for its inaugural film series dedicated to Middle Eastern Women in Film. The last film in this series is Persepolis:

Persepolis The poignant story of a young girl coming of age in Iran during the Islamic Revolution. It is through the eyes of precocious nine-year-old Marjane that we see a people’s hopes dashed as fundamentalists take power — forcing the veil on women and imprisoning thousands. Clever and fearless, she outsmarts the “social guardians.” Yet when her uncle is senselessly executed and as bombs fall around Tehran in the Iran/Iraq war, the daily fear that permeates life in Iran is palpable.
All viewings will take place on Wednesday evenings in July at 5pm, and will be followed by a brief discussion. Please email Sutini at sutinis@nus.edu.sg if you have problems registering for the event.

Budrus, 6 July 2011When the residents of Budrus learn that the Israeli army plans to build the Separation Barrier through their town, cutting them off from neighboring Palestinian villages and uprooting their olive groves, they decide to organize. Under the leadership of Ayed Morrar, Palestinian men come together to wage an unarmed struggle to preserve their lands. Victory seems unlikely until Ayed’s daughter steps in to organize a female contingent that brings the women of Budrus to the front lines in a tense stand-off with the military.

Caramel, 13 July 2011 A Beirut beauty salon becomes a treasured meeting place for several generations of women, from various walks of life, to talk, seek advice and confide in one another.

Lemon Tree, 20 July 2011 A lonely Palestinian widow tends her family’s West Bank lemon grove. But when the new Israeli Defense Minister and his wife move in next door, the government demands that the trees be uprooted. Can two women from opposite sides of the fence find justice in a country and culture divided?