Whispering Sands - Cinéma Arabe

A Canadian traveler of Arab descent is guided through the desert by a Bedouin guide. She is looking for a nameless waterfall, but tells him nothing else about her destination. Her guide is much more talkative: while visiting the places of his childhood along the way, he connects personal memories to stories from the Sufi tradition. Deserted and partly collapsed buildings are the only tangible remnants of the world he so vividly evokes.

With simple means, Tunisian filmmaker Nacer Khemir (Bab’Aziz) constructs a story that interweaves the past, the present and the future, and which reveals the poetry and spiritual wealth of Sufism.

Take note: after the screening of May 11 director Nacer Khemir will do a Q&A, followed by a panel debate on the current topic: Culture as a remedy.
What is the meaning of war when it suddenly enters your own, perfectly ordinary life? What would you put at stake hoping for safety? How would you handle the endless contradictions at the border between Israel and Palestine? The films shown at the festival zoom in on what connects us to the people who the news often reduces to numbers. A number of prominent speakers and filmmakers investigate the role that art and culture can play in this, and what it takes.

Tue 9 May and Sat 11 May with short-film:
Brotherhood
Meryam Joobeur | Canada, Tunisia, Qatar, Sweden | 2018 | drama, family | 25 min. | Arabic spoken
A shepherd is faced with a moral dilemma when his son returns from Syria with his pregnant bride. They are clearly in need of help and protection, but are they entitled to it? This award-winning short film addresses a burning current dilemma.