When the 15th edition of the Beirut International Film Festival (BIFF) kicks off on Oct. 7 with a screening of Mark Osborne’s adaptation of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's "The Little Prince," a slew of regional films – short and documentary – will be competing for the festival's prizes.
Here are 10 from around the Middle East and North Africa that we're rooting for:
1. Dark White, Haisam AbdelHamed (Egypt)
Genre : Short film
Synopsis : "The story revolves around a street child who coincidentally finds himself next to an amusement park for children. He tries to enter this world which he hasn't seen before."
2. Wheels of War, Rami Kodeih (Lebanon)
Genre : Documentary
Synopsis : "From 1975 to 1990, Lebanon was embroiled in a devastating civil war that claimed an estimated 200,000 lives and defined a generation of young people, who fought on behalf of opposing religious sects. In the wake of war, a group of these militiamen found peace in the unlikeliest of places. This is their story."
3. Eight Thirty, Rami Al Otaibi (Jordan)
Genre: Short film
Synopsis: "This film is an 11 minute short that consists only of one character, the film has no dialogue, it tackles homosexuality in the Arab world through the Loneliness of the monotonous everyday life of a gay man, yet it is both complex and unique to each individual. Loneliness has no single common cause, so the prevention and treatments for this damaging state of mind through the subtle action and images of the film is a portrayal of many individuals who are leading a discrete life in the midst of an unforgiving society."
4. 130 KM to Heaven, Khaled Khella (Egypt)
Genre: Short film
Synopsis: "An aspirational young man steps foot outside of his hometown for the first time following his best friend on the road to turn their life around."
5. Hassan in Wonderland, Ali Kareem (Iraq)
Genre: Short film
Synopsis: "Kids play with toy weapons in a bomb-shattered Baghdad, thus reproducing the terrible reality around them. Everyone seems to be enjoying the game, except for Hassan who prefers his toy cars to the guns and rifles with which others shoot and pretend to kill each other."
6. Hidden, Shahad Al Shehhi (UAE)
Genre: Short film Synopsis: "This film looks at the life a bored, middle-aged housewife, who decided she wanted to have extra-marital encounters to satisfy her sense of adventure."
7. Free Range, Bassem Breche (Lebanon)
Genre : Short film Synopsis : "Based on actual events, Free Range is the story of a cow that crosses the border from Israel to Lebanon and meets with 16 year old Malakeh and her family."
8. The Riddle, Fidae Sbaai (Morocco)
Genre : Short Film Synopsis : "A prison warden offers a last chance to his prisoner, a riddle. If he solves it, he finds back his freedom."
9. Lost in the Dust, Soran Ebrahim (Iraq/Kurdistan)
Genre : Short film
Synopsis : "A Yazidi boy and a Baath agent fall in love with a Kurdish Muslim girl. The girl's parents don't want their daughter to marry either. When the girl and the Yazidi boy go to a blind cleric to bond their marriage, a different turn of events unfold."
10. Speed Sisters, Amber Fares (Palestine)
Genre : Documentary
Synopsis : "The Speed Sisters are the first all-women race car driving team in the Middle East. Grabbing headlines and turning heads, these five women have sped their way into the hearts of the male-dominated Palestinian street car-racing scene. Weaving together their lives on and off the track, 'Speed Sisters' takes you on a surprising journey into the drive to go further and faster than anyone thought you could."