Middle East Film: Theeb at the Brentwood Arts Exchange

Film Screening: Depictions of Bedouin Culture

Theeb (100 min, 2014). Directed by Naji Abu Nowar. The spellbinding Jordanian adventure film Theeb is a story set in the farthest reaches of the Ottoman Empire in 1916. A sinister and seriously wounded man and a preadolescent boy play cat and mouse as they help each other stay alive in a do-or-die struggle.

The movie is set in a period known as the Arab Revolt, when Arab nationalists sought independence from the Ottoman Turks. Events are seen through the eyes of Theeb (Jacir Eid), a Bedouin child who has had no contact with the world outside his desert community. During these years, traditional Bedouin culture was disrupted by a railway, nicknamed the Iron Donkey Trail. Connecting Damascus and Medina, it would soon eliminate the need for Bedouin pilgrim guides.

Followed by a discussion with Valerie Anishchenkova, U. MD. Director of Arabic Programs about Theeb’s depictions of Bedouin culture.

Brentwood Arts Exchange

3901 Rhode Island Avenue

Brentwood, MD 20722

301-277-2863

http://www.mncppcapps.org/pgparks/art_events/events_and_performances.aspx?q=brentwood