May in the Summer

Cherien Dabis / Narrative / Jordan, Qatar, USA / 2013 / 98 mins

To all appearances, May has it all, intelligent, gorgeous, the recipient of raves for her recently published book and set to marry her loving fiancé Ziad, a distinguished New York scholar. But immediately upon returning to her familial hometown of Amman, Jordan for the wedding, the cracks in her seemingly perfect life begin to show. Confronted with the wounds of her parent’s long-broken relationship, coupled with the unavoidable clash of old-world and modern values, May is lead to question the direction her life is taking. Soon, her once carefully structured world appears to unravel as she grapples with her own truths.

Excuse my French

Amr Salama / Narrative / Egypt / 2014 / 99 mins

The film tells the story of Hany Abdallah Peter, a child whose life turns upside down after the death of his father and his mother's discovery of the huge debts they have to pay. He is forced to experience the huge gap between classes after moving from his old elite private school to a public one. Things get complicated for Hany after having to hide being a Christian surrendering to the assumptions of his classmates and teachers who didn't read his full name and mistook him for a Muslim.