Latest News
Los Angeles Screening
Submitted by robin_m on Fri, 14/02/2014 - 10:33A Tale of Two Syrias (Dir. Yasmin Fedda) is to screen in Los Angeles in March.
The Center for Visual Anthropology at the University of Southern California (USC) will host a selection of films chosen from the 13th RAI INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF ETHNOGRAPHIC FILM which took place in Edinburgh last June.
The 13th RAI International Festival of Ethnographic Film was jointly hosted in June 2013 by the National Museums Scotland and STAR, the Consortium of Anthropology Departments of the Universities of Edinburgh, Aberdeen and St. Andrews.
The screening of A Tale of Two Syrias in Los Angeles will take place at the Seeley G. Mudd Hall on USC campus on Saturday 8th March at 10.30am.
Back at The Fringe in 2014
Submitted by robin_m on Mon, 10/02/2014 - 13:01We are delighted to announce the VENUE for the 2014 Princess Pumpalot: The Farting Princess stage show. Our family show will be performed at The NEW TOWN THEATRE in George Street as part of the 2014 Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
The New Town Theatre is run during the Fringe Festival by Universal Arts and is situated at 96 George Street in a prime position between the Assembly Rooms and the International Book Festival.
Princess Pumpalot: The Farting Princess is a fast-paced, fun-packed show for all the family based on the book by Robin Mitchell. The stage show, co-produced with LRStageworks and directed by Liam Rudden, will be performed daily at 11am in THE MYSTERIOUS (180 seats) between 31st July and 24th August 2014 (not 12th).
We shall announce ticket details when they are available.
Oxford University Screening
Submitted by robin_m on Sat, 01/02/2014 - 10:14A Tale of Two Syrias (Dir. Yasmin Fedda) is to be screened at Oxford University on 5th February.
The screening will be hosted by Oxford Solidarity for Syria in association with The Global South Film Society.
Oxford Solidarity for Syria is a group of students and researchers interested in understanding and supporting the revolt of the Syrian people and spreading the Syrian cause widely.
The Global South Film Society is a politically engaged independent collective where you can watch and discuss films from around the globe, with active participation, good company and freedom.
The screening takes place at St Antony's College (Nissan Lecture Theatre) on Wednesday 5th February at 8pm. Yasmin will be there to answer any questions.
A Tale of Two Syrias: New York screening
Submitted by robin_m on Wed, 15/01/2014 - 12:21A Tale of Two Syrias (Dir. Yasmin Fedda) is to be screened at Alwan For the Arts in New York on Wednesday March 19th 2014 at 7pm.
Since 1998, Alwan has played a leading role in promoting the diverse cultures of the Middle East in New York and the tri-state metropolitan area. Alwan’s inaugural activities entailed screening evocative films in academic settings. These screenings evolved into a film festival that soon became the largest event of its kind outside of the Middle East. Since its founding, Alwan has continually expanded its programming, which now includes concerts, dance performances, academic book talks, poetry readings, panel discussions, theatrical performances, visual arts exhibits, as well as educational offerings in language, dance, and music. Alwan has grown into a cultural and aesthetic hub, curating up to 100 events each year.
The screening will be followed by a discussion with Director, Yasmin Fedda.
Seasonal Greetings
Submitted by robin_m on Sun, 22/12/2013 - 14:29Seasonal Greetings from Cadies Productions Ltd.
Wishing all our friends very good wishes for 2014.
A Tale of Two Syrias screening in Sardinia
Submitted by robin_m on Sun, 10/11/2013 - 20:23A Tale of Two Syrias (Director: Yasmin Fedda) is to be screened at the Al Ard International Documentary Film Festival about Palestine and the Arab World.
This unique festival in Sardinia will show the most important and recent documentary productions at international level on the traditions, lifestyles, history, politics, religion and society in Palestine and the Arab world.
The Film Festival will take place from the 21st to the 23rd of November 2013 at the Cineteatro Nanni Loy, in Cagliari, Sardinia, Italy.
The Arab Camera Festival
Submitted by robin_m on Tue, 05/11/2013 - 11:45A Tale of Two Syrias is to be screened at the Arab Camera Festival in Rotterdam on Saturday 16th November 2013 (16:00). The Arab Camera Festival is an artistic haven. It shows a nuanced picture of the cultural, political, social and artistic situation in Arab countries. The movies are programmed around topical themes of the Arab community in Europe. Arab Camera creates space for open dialogue about art, human rights, emancipation and political freedom in Arab countries and in Europe and specifically in the Netherlands.
With special workshops and master classes taught by filmmakers from the Arab world and Europe, Arab Camera Film Festival Rotterdam focuses explicitly on developing talent. From this perspective, there is a special program component with experimental films and new talent every year.
Erenlai Asia-Pacific Magazine
Submitted by robin_m on Sun, 27/10/2013 - 17:22This was an interview with A Tale of Two Syrias Director, Yasmin Fedda in Erenlai Asia-Pacific Magazine.
The Taiwan International Ethnographic Film Festival is a biannual festival, organized by the Taiwan Association of Visual Ethnography and held in Taipei. I was very glad to attend this year’s festival, and over the five-day event I saw many interesting and inspiring films. One that immediately stood out for me was the documentary A Tale of Two Syrias. I studied Arabic in Damascus, and later returned there for work, so for me the film had a very personal appeal. Nevertheless, A Tale of Two Syrias makes interesting viewing for anyone who wants to know more about the region.
The film switches between two locations and two people. In Damascus, we follow the story of Salem, an Iraqi fashion designer who fled from Baghdad during the Iraq war and hopes to seek asylum in America. In Mar Musa, a remote hillside monastery in the Syrian countryside, we follow Botrus, a Syrian monk. The film weaves between these two stories to paint an intimate portrait of a country that despite the recent media coverage, most people know very little about. By capturing the difficulties faced by ordinary Syrians in Bashar al-Assad’s Syria and also their vision of a better, freer life in the future, in some ways the film pre-empts the current conflict. However, through the beauty of Mar Musa and its inhabitants’ belief in inter-religious dialogue and mutual respect and tolerance, it also shows a vision of what that future Syria could be like.
I caught up with the director, Yasmin Fedda, whom I first met in Syria during my time there, and this is what she had to say:
Read the full interview on the Erenlai Asia-Pacific Magazine site.