The Oriental Film Festival will start in Geneva on March 26, 2007, with the projection of The Wretched Life of Juanita Narboni, in the presence of Moroccan director Farida Benlyazid.

It will continue for a week, with a selection of films, most of them never shown in Switzerland. The 3rd edition of the Festival will focus on women, as directors or as subjects of films. Cry no More, by Narjiss Nejjar, Allez Yallah! by Jean-Pierre Thorn, or Women without Shadows, by Haifaa Al-Mansour, all adopt different perspectives on this subject.

Irak will be honured on Tuesday 27th, and Morocco on Wednesday 28th. A selection of short movies from all countries will also be running for the Price of the Festival, which will be announced on Saturday 31st. Several debates with directors and specialists are planned.

There will also be a selection of movies in English, or with English subtitles, such as Being Osama, by Mahmoud Kaabour and Tim Schwab, and several short movies.

Kids will be welcome, with a special selection, including a Small Orient Express program of short movies, and Son of the Forest, first Kuwaiti cartoon (French subtitles).

The Oriental Film Festival in Geneva is supported by the Department of Cultural Affairs of the City of Geneva, the Graduate Institute of International Studies, and many others. It will take place at the CAC-Voltaire (Théâtre du Grütli), at Ciné-Rémor, Tierra Incognita and Ciné-Versoix, as well as in Lausanne and Ferney-Voltaire. www.filmoriental.com