A program of seven short films from the Arab Gulf, also known as the Khaleej. The films address changing landscapes and traditions, collective and individual representation, and societal anxieties, all played out through drama, satire, and fantasy.

Following the screenings, join us for a conversation between the curator of Bayn Al Khaleej film program, Hind Mezaina and Alia Yunis, Visiting Associate Professor of Film and Heritage Studies at NYU Abu Dhabi about the films, their role as social critique, and forms of representation and expression through cinema.

This event runs in parallel with The NYUAD Art Gallery’s current exhibition, Khaleej Modern, on view until December 11, 2022.
All films in Arabic with English subtitles. 

SHANAB / MUSTACHE (Meqdad Al Kout, 2010, Kuwait, 14 min)
Set in old Kuwait, the film depicts the life of a man who is unable to grow a mustache. 

THE GAMBOO3A REVOLUTION (Abdulrahman Al Madani, 2012, UAE, 17 min)
In the early 2010s, the traditional sheila and abaya in the UAE were reinvented to the 'Gamboo3a,' (the beehive hair or 'camel hump', launching a divisive trend that found many questioning where is the line drawn between fashion and modesty.

MIRRORS OF SILENCE (Nawaf Al Janahi, 2006, UAE, 16 min)
In a modern city, a young man is confronted by a distressing loneliness; will he succeed in overcoming it?

HIND’S DREAM (Suzannah Mirghani, 2014, Qatar, 6 min)
Hind is a Bedouin girl who spends weeks alone as her husband hunts. In a lyrical narration, she recounts wandering through a desert dreamscape, meeting an old oracle, and glimpsing a future Doha city. This film is a reflection on history, futurism, and folklore of the Arabian Peninsula.

CLOUDS (Muzna Almusafer, 2020, Oman, 15 min)
Set in a rural village in the South of Oman in 1978, the film looks at Dablan, a widower who lives with his children Salma and Amr. Dablan faces pressure from his tribe to kill a leopard threatening the village. A journey inside a tribal society undergoing transformation, shot with intimacy and palpable empathy.

PICK UP (Saleh Nass, 2015, Bahrain, 10 min)
A schoolgirl is desperate to reach home when faced with the embarrassment of being picked up from school by her father in his dusty old pick-up truck. Undeterred, the father decides to take a detour and take his daughter on a small fishing trip.

FILTER WATAN / FILTER OF A NATION (Ali Kalthami, 2015, Saudi Arabia, 5 min)
A nation trying to change stereotypical perceptions. Does it succeed?

More information on NYUAD Art Gallery.
More information on The Culturist.