The "Caravan of the Euro-Arab Cinema" is a project aimed at all social and professional classes with a privilege to educated audiences (universities and college graduates, cinema students & graduates, press members etc…) It's also aimed at all ages and sexes.
The estimated percentage of audiences affected by these activities varies at each country and/or city.
"Caravan of the Euro-Arab Cinema" makes sure that the different programs are suitable and compliant for the target groups. For example, organizing special screenings for cinema students of the audiovisual and multimedia fields is very much different from screenings of Euro-Arab public films in the open air which targets a larger audience		  
 
 

  • Caravan of the Euro-Arab Cinema works to support the exchange of films among major cities in different countries for the purpose of insuring the attraction of the largest amount possible of audiences.

  • A guide for different events and activities for the partner countries of the MEDA and European Union will be made according to the circumstances in these countries and to the deals they will be able to make for using different venues in the event. These films and videos will be viewed by all segments of society; films will be subtitles; Arabic films will be subtitled in English or French according to the common langue in the country; European films will be subtitled in Arabic.

  • Negotiations will be made for screening rights for the whole project, while working on the exchange of the films among the different participating countries.

  • Special meetings and panels will be organized in coordination with the participating countries discussing various issues which will be decided later on.

  • A web site for the Caravan of the Euro-Arab Cinema will be made to cover the different events and activities in Arabic, English and French, there will also be press releases available regularly on the website.

  • Printed material covering the events and activities will be available, as well as reports and editorials, covering the different panels and forums held, in Arabic, English and French.

  • Special training workshops for young filmmakers and people working in the field of video within the program of the Caravan.

  • Special evening screenings of Euro Mediterranean films will be held according to circumstances in the participating countries.

  

 
 
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  In old times people travelled in caravans in search for water and food, then in search for trade and new opportunities in life. On the margins of Caravans, knowledge, ideas and cultural dialogues were exchanged Caravan was actually a society on the move.Within his space, in close ups. All kinds of borders dissolved, and the other became no more a feared ghost. Today, in the first years of the 21st century, with all new developments in communication technology the need for direct contact with the other has not ceased, but became more important than ever. The world in the past few years revealed a wide spread doubtful, scared and unforgiving look and a lack of understanding of each other. Since its start in 2000 “Semat” has adopted the concept of independent cinema, and worked for supporting cultural diversity and fighting monopoly and hegemony. The Caravan of Euro-Arab Cinema comes as an essential step on the road towards these targets. Semat relies in this project on its relationships with many partners around the European and the Arab world, who share the same vision. The Caravan has set off and we hope that all who love cinema and arts would join us.

Samy Hossam
Filmmaker-scriptwriter/producer



For a new generation of Euro-Arab film audience: Since the eighties of the 20th century, the Arab Cinema existed regularly in Paris through “The Arab Film Festival” which was organized by a group of Arab and French critics when the institute of Arab World (IMA) opened its doors in 1988, the Arab Cinema found itself a constant home through “The Benalie of Arab Cinema in Paris”, which began in 1992. This place turned to a meeting place for the new and distinguished Arab films. Today IMA participates in a new initiative which aims to push this cinema to new horizons, the project “Caravan of the Euro-Arab Cinema”, which is supported by Audiovisual Euromed II with the participation of many activities in that field from south and north of the Mediterranean. Egyptian independent filmmakers for production and distribution “Semat” leads this ambitious project, beside “IMA”, Arab Film Festival in Rotterdarm, Netherland, Film Festival in Beirut “Docudays”, Lebanon and the Pioneers Production company. All of us seek to co-operate and get close through this contemporary Caravan, which travels between Arab and European cities, carrying new visions of European and Arab filmmakers through “Programs of Arab-European Cinema” and supporting the already established festivals. The functions of the Caravan will continue around the year in Arab and European cities with the target of creating a new generation of cinema audience, who are more open to European and Arab cinema culture. We hope by the end of this project, which lasts for 3 years, that we can see the birth of this audience.

Magda Wassef
Head of cinema department of the
Arab World Institute
General Director of the
Biennale of Arab Cinema-Paris


 
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