Philippe Aractingi | Filmmaking & Identity

Theatrical stages often mirror the intricate evolution of the societies that build them. Professor Carmen Gitre explores the burgeoning performance culture of Cairo between 1867 and 1930. This era witnessed a shift from street storytelling and shadow plays to formal theater house ...  Show more

For centuries, the Arab and Muslim worlds led humanity in scientific discovery, establishing a culture where faith served as an inspiration rather than an obstacle to empirical research. The conversation with astrophysicist Dr. Nidhal Guessoum explores that profound intellectual ...  Show more

In this episode I explore the world of film in the Arab world and talk to directors and producers who are pushing the boundaries. I speak to Jordan’s Tima Shomali, director of an Arabic language original Netflix series Al Rawabi School for Girls, a huge hit about teenage girls an ...  Show more

A captivating conversation with theater director and playwright Laila Soliman about theater, cultural discourse and decolonization across the Arab world. Using three of her major works – Zigzag, La Grande Maison and her first opera Woman at Point Zero – as reference, we discuss w ...  Show more

Mai Masri is a Palestinian filmmaker, director and producer. The majority of her work to date are documentaries which focus on the day-to-day realities faced by women and children living in the occupied Palestinian territories and Lebanon. She is widely seen as a pioneer of Pales ...  Show more

From Capernaum to The Insult, and everything in between, the Lebanese Film Festival in Australia has screened over 250 Lebanese-based films from around the world. One might say, it's a gift that keeps on giving. Lebanese Film Festival director Camille Lattouf, our special guest f ...  Show more