ANA Contemporary Arab Cinema

ANA Contemporary Arab Cinema Contemporary Arab Film Series It is about exciting personal visions, unique talent and great stories.

Curated by Lina Matta, the Channel Director of MBC 2, MBC 4, MBC Max and MBC Variety, ANA, which means “I” in Arabic is an annual films series showcasing the best Arab directors working today. Each year, 12 films, a mix of documentaries and features are hand picked from regional and international festivals and shown at the Jacob Burns Film Center in NY

Goodbye till next year… Hagop Kevorkian Center for Near Eastern Studies at NYU BAM Film Shahid
07/19/2025

Goodbye till next year…
Hagop Kevorkian Center for Near Eastern Studies at NYU BAM Film Shahid

We wrapped our 13th edition with the heartwarming Egyptian romantic drama “Snow White” about a little person’s search fo...
07/18/2025

We wrapped our 13th edition with the heartwarming Egyptian romantic drama “Snow White” about a little person’s search for true love while anxiously trying to put the dowry together for her little sister’s wedding. Taghrid Abouelhassan’s story shone with warmth, love and dignity. Meriem Sherif is a natural star.

BAM Film Hagop Kevorkian Center for Near Eastern Studies at NYU Shahid

What a night we had last night! Awesome turnout for the doc “Coexistence, My Ass” about the uber activist/comedian Noam ...
07/17/2025

What a night we had last night!
Awesome turnout for the doc “Coexistence, My Ass” about the uber activist/comedian Noam Shuster-Eliassi.
Thank you Amber Fares & Rabab Haj Yahya for introducing the world to Noam & thank you Cherien Dabis for moderating the Q&A
BAM FilmHagop Kevorkian Center for Near Eastern Studies at NYUShahid Lina Matta

Last night, under the pouring rain, that engulfed NY, we screened the Tunisian movie ‘Take My Breath’. Thrilled to see t...
07/15/2025

Last night, under the pouring rain, that engulfed NY, we screened the Tunisian movie ‘Take My Breath’. Thrilled to see the familiar faces of my cousin and two old friends from DC, who made the trek to Brooklyn to catch a few films in the series.
BAM Film Hagop Kevorkian Center for Near Eastern Studies at NYU Lina Matta

Another sold-out crowd joined us at BAM Film for Laila Abbas’s insightful film about two sisters fighting for their righ...
07/15/2025

Another sold-out crowd joined us at BAM Film for Laila Abbas’s insightful film about two sisters fighting for their rightful inheritance in ‘Thank you for Banking with Us’.
With her sister in the audience, Laila regaled the crowd with the personal family anecdotes that inspired her film.
BAM Film Hagop Kevorkian Center for Near Eastern Studies at NYU Shahid

Last night we were were thrilled to host the director of the Saudi comedy Il Signore. In front of a packed NY audience ...
07/13/2025

Last night we were were thrilled to host the director of the Saudi comedy Il Signore.
In front of a packed NY audience Aymen confessed how thrilled he was to have his film play in Brooklyn dream come true”.

BAM Film Hagop Kevorkian Center for Near Eastern Studies at NYU Lina Matta Shahid

Day 3 was the first of our double-feature days: Scandar Copti’s long awaited 2nd feature ‘Happy Holidays’, followed by W...
07/12/2025

Day 3 was the first of our double-feature days: Scandar Copti’s long awaited 2nd feature ‘Happy Holidays’, followed by Waad El Kateab’s devastating doc ‘Death Without Mercy’.

Loved catching up with an old friend from beirut who was there with his family to catch one of the films!

Join us tonight for another double-feature, and meet one of Saudi’ exciting new talents, director Aymen Khoja
BAM Film Hagop Kevorkian Center for Near Eastern Studies at NYU Shahid

Day 2 we screened Mo Harawe’s “A Village Next to Paradise”. A mesmerizing from Somalia about a father’s quiet resilience...
07/11/2025

Day 2 we screened Mo Harawe’s “A Village Next to Paradise”. A mesmerizing from Somalia about a father’s quiet resilience and the fragile dreams of a better life.
Hagop Kevorkian Center for Near Eastern Studies at NYU BAM Film Shahid

Last night we kicked off the 13th edition of ANA & our 7th at BAM Film with a sold-out screening of Mehdi Fleifel's To A...
07/10/2025

Last night we kicked off the 13th edition of ANA & our 7th at BAM Film with a sold-out screening of Mehdi Fleifel's To A Land Unknown.
The joy of having the series in NY is that I get my sister and her family in the audience ❤️❤️
Thanks for all who came out last night. Here’s to seeing more of you in the next few days!
Hagop Kevorkian Center for Near Eastern Studies at NYU BAM Rose Cinemas Lina Matta May Matta-Aliah Shahid

12 bold films. 1 powerful week (July 9-17)Stories from across the Arab world - personal, political, poetic, provocative....
07/05/2025

12 bold films. 1 powerful week (July 9-17)
Stories from across the Arab world - personal, political, poetic, provocative.

Whether you're into cinema that stirs, shocks, or simply opens a window onto lives rarely seen on screen - this is your invitation.
Join us at BAM, in Brooklyn, NY
For our 13th edition of ANA Contemporary Arab Cinema

BAM Film Hagop Kevorkian Center for Near Eastern Studies at NYU Lina Matta

The series ended with a bang! Another sold-out night with a standby line for the blockbuster political satire VOY VOY VO...
07/19/2024

The series ended with a bang! Another sold-out night with a standby line for the blockbuster political satire VOY VOY VOY. The director Omar Hilal regaled us with hilarious anecdotes from the shoot. The film is based on the true story of the players of blind football team that con their way onto the team only to use the excuse of playing overseas to escape Egypt.
On a personal note, the series is a fab way for us to connect with old friends & relatives & make new ones & to meet the talented filmmakers who are telling our stories of today to a wider global audience.
Thank you BAM Film for hosting us & Hagop Kevorkian Center for Near Eastern Studies at NYU for hosting the filmmakers. And the audience members who came day after day to watch the movies & support the series.
Can’t wait for 2025!

07/18/2024

Tonight we're closing with the funny and heartwarming Egyptian political satire ! directed by Omar Hilal.
📽 Based on an incredible true story, Voy! Voy! Voy! relates the tale of Hassan, an Egyptian man who dreams of escaping poverty in Cairo, and fakes a visual impairment in order to join a team bound for the Blind Football World Cup in Poland.

🙏🏼 to Hagop Kevorkian Center for Near Eastern Studies at NYU for their amazing support and for BAM Film and the entire BAM Rose Cinemas staff for their consistent smiling help, their patience and professionalism.

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