Encyclopedia of Arab Women Filmmakers by Rebecca Hillauer; Allison Brown (Translator); Deborah Cohen (Translator); Nancy Joyce (Translator)Call Number: LANGSAM Reference PN1998.2 .H5513 2005
ISBN: 9774249437
Publication Date: 2006-02-02
Arab women filmmakers: Who are they? What drives them? What are their experiences in a male-dominated profession? How do they function within the contexts - and constraints - of patriarchal societies? The answers are complex and sometimes surprising, as complex and surprising as the vastlydifferent films these women direct. In this unprecedented book, Rebecca Hillauer assembles a comprehensive and penetrating look into the history of Arab women's filmmaking, as well as the political and social background of the countries - Egypt, Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, Algeria, among others - fromwhich these artists emerged. In addition to the biographies, filmographies, and discussions of their most important works, lively, in-depth interviews allow us to hear from the filmmakers themselves. Collectively, these women, who hail from a wide range of professional, religious, and socialbackgrounds, provide a varied and vivid picture of what it means to work in creative and journalistic fields in the modern Arab world. For Hillauer, the subject of a film, its genesis, and the personal story of the artist who created it reveal far more than a particular approach to cinematography.Arab women filmmakers and their main characters (who are often semi-autobiographical) not only afford us a look at seldom-seen facets of Arab societies, they personify an alternative women 'model,' one that is far removed from western cliches. Broad in scope, and rich in insight, Arab WomenFilmmakers is a must read for cineastes as well as students of film, feminism, and the Middle East.