SHAFIKA AND METWALI
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CROCODILE TEARS
Director: Tumpal Tampubolon
On a Crocodile Farm in West Java, Indonesia, a young boy reaches puberty, and his problems with his mother start. Johan, a young man tethered to his mother, Mama, by invisible but unbreakable chains, dreams of freedom yet remains under her suffocating grip. Isolated from the world, their life on the farm is a tense routine of survival and emotional manipulation, disrupted only when a young woman’s arrival threatens the delicate balance. As Johan begins to see through Mama’s relentless hold, he confronts the painful reality of their bond: is it love, or is it tyranny? Director Tumpal Tampubolon dives deep into the tangled web of family loyalty and control in this haunting drama raising timeless questions about family, power, and the cost of independence.
ZERO
Director: Jean Luc Herbulot
In the bustling heart of Dakar, Senegal, two white Americans wake to a nightmare: bombs strapped to their chests, and they only have ten hours before they explode. With no idea who’s behind it, their only hope for survival is to listen to the instructions of a mysterious voice on the phone, forcing them to complete a series of bizarre and perilous tasks across the city. As they race against time in this twisted scavenger hunt, the vibrant streets of Dakar become a high-stakes labyrinth of survival. Darkly thrilling and filled with unexpected political commentary on colonialism and African society, this tense and exciting pulse-pounding thriller keeps you guessing until the very last second—because in this world, every move counts.
ABDO & SANEYA
Director: Omar Bakry
A wonderful reminder of the power of silent film, Omar Bakri’s film is shot without dialogue in dramatic black and white. Egyptian farmer Abdo and his wife Saniya are desperate for a child, which leads them on a daunting journey to New York City for infertility treatment. The treatment itself is intimidating but the couple faces an additional hurdle: they don't speak the language and are unfamiliar with the American way of life. This musical drama has all the magic and direct emotion of early cinema – laughter, tears and love surge through it - but with very modern-day heroes in Abdo and Saniya. The Jeddah audience is sure to be captivated by this innovative take on a classic genre.
BLACK DOG
Director: Guan Hu
While China buzzes in anticipation of the Beijing Olympics, Lang returns from a decade in prison to his home town to find it largely deserted, its crumbling concrete blocks being torn down to make way for a new industrial city. The exodus of humans means that the area is now overrun with stray dogs; Lang, needing a job, joins a hastily assembled extermination team supposed to round them up but, when a dog suspected of having rabies adopts him, he realizes his real mission is to save the animals, including the ones at the nearly deserted local zoo.. In a riveting, almost wordless performance, Eddie Peng shows Lang recover his humanity, even as the landscape around him becomes increasingly desolate.