The Band Documentary Film Takes Part in the Sharm El-Sheikh Asian Film Festival

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Winner of Three International Awards

The Band Documentary Film Takes Part in the Sharm El-Sheikh Asian Film Festival


Iraqi director Albaqer Jafeer's documentary film The Band will take part in the 3rd Sharm El-Sheikh Asian Film Festival (SAFF)(March 2 - 8), within its Long Documentary Films Competition, marking its Egyptian premiere after winning several awards at international film festivals in Algeria, Jordan and France.

Sharm El-Sheikh Asian Film Festival (SAFF) is a non-profit cultural event organized by the Noon Foundation for Culture and Arts, with the contribution and support of the Egyptian Ministry of Culture, The Ministry of Youth and Sports, The General Authority for Tourism Development and the South Sinai Governorate. This edition, the Festival is hosting an annual competition for filmmakers aiming to lead the way in introducing Asian cinema to the Arab world. The SAFF will feature a number of interesting programs, including gala events, open-air screenings, workshops, and seminars, all attended by the industry's leading filmmakers.

The Band won three international awards, including the Arab World Institute's Best Feature Documentary Film Award at the Festival des Cinémas Arabes in Paris, France, the Karama Feather for Best Documentary Film Award at the Karama Human Rights Film Festival in Jordan, and a Special Mention at the Oran International Arabic Film Festival in Algeria. The film also screened at the Karama Beirut Human Rights Film Festival.

Written and directed by Albaqer Jafeer, The Band is distributed in the Arab world by MAD Solutions. The film tells the story of Hulm Band that is made up of six musicians who are sparing no efforts to fulfill their dream of playing Sufi music in their hometown, Sadr city in Iraq. They only face one dilemma which lies in the fact that they can get murdered for playing music in a city where music is forbidden. In 67 minutes, the film follows the band members as they open up to the film's director, Albaqer Jafeer, on their dreams, aspirations and the reality in which they find themselves.

Albaqar Jafeer is an Iraqi director who studied filmmaking at the Iraqi Independent Film Center in 2009. Later on, Jafeer participated in filmmaking workshops inside and outside Baghdad where he studied screenwriting, directing, editing and production management. Albaqar Jafeer's filmography includes the short documentary film Rafa't Alam (Rising the Flag) and Ghorbat Ghajar (Strangeness of the Gypsies) and the experimental film 50mm Lens. The Band is Jafeer's debut feature documentary film.

Screening Times of The Band at the Sharm El-Sheikh Asian Film Festival (GMT +2)

Tuesday, March 5 at 05:00 PM
Wednesday, March 6 at 11:00 AM
Thursday, March 7 at 07:00 PM