UNDER THE FIG TREES
Other movies
A SAD AND BEAUTIFUL WORLD
Director: Cyril Aris
Born during a tragic massacre in Beirut, Nino and Yasmina are cosmically bound from childhood. Through shared hardships — Nino’s loss of his parents and Yasmina’s parents’ divorce — they forge an unbreakable bond. Yasmina, dreaming of escape, proposes a magical train ride to a remote island. Nino agrees, but their plan is shattered when she moves away. Fate reunites them 24 years later, and despite her cynical view of Beirut and life, Yasmina is captivated by Nino’s optimism. She falls in love, abandoning her emigration plans, and is swept away by their connection. This is a powerful tale of longing, love and destiny, portrayed by performances that remind us of the beauty of life when viewed through love's lens.
SAIPAN
Director: Lisa Barros D'sa
The tensions surrounding Ireland's 2002 FIFA World Cup bid are universal to any country that has dared to hope for footballing glory. Add Roy Keane's unique personality to the mix and you have an exciting, funny, tense drama, superbly performed by the double act of Steve Coogan as Ireland’s shambling manager Mick McCarthy and newcomer Éanna Hardwicke as the Manchester United force of nature that is Keane. This is no underdog story — it would take a braver person than McCarthy to call the eternally prickly Keane that — but directors Lisa Barros D'Sa and Glenn Leyburn have fashioned a crowd-pleasing double-act nonetheless. Tip: watch out for a cameo from the Saudi Arabia team.
THE STORIES
Director: Abu Bakr Shawky
In the summer of 1967 in Egypt, aspiring pianist Ahmed begins a long-distance friendship with Liz, his Austrian pen-pal. Their bond, met with suspicion by relatives, helps drive Ahmed’s pursuit of his dream: to perform in a public concert. As they navigate life’s joys and heartaches, their connection and shared ambition endure through the war, family drama and societal opposition they face in Egypt during the 1980s. The film, like Yomeddine, is infused with the director's distinct personality, showing his talent for creating characters and dialogue that are touching and memorable. This is a vivid and authentic tribute to Egypt, capturing a love story filled with the innocence and ambition of a generation during a key period in Arab history.
SCARLET
Director: Mamoru Hosoda
Mamoru Hosoda's time-warping animated epic is inspired by Shakespeare’s Hamlet and tells the story of medieval princess Scarlet, who vows to avenge the death of her father at the hands of her grasping uncle. Poisoned, she is thrust into a liminal realm where time collapses and she meets Hijiri, an idealistic medic from the present day. Visually daring, luminous and unflinching, Scarlet fuses hand-drawn richness with cutting-edge CG. Balancing visceral action and romance with a mature meditation on grief, the bounds of vengeance and our shared humanity, the film stands as an achingly relevant elegy in today’s war-scarred world.