The 9th Edition of the International Oriental Film Festival of Geneva is now officially launched. FIFOG 2014 has started on Friday the 4th of April 2014 in a festive and friendly atmosphere. During 10 days, Switzerland and neighboring France will travel to the heart of Orient.
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112 Movies, 28 Countries
This new edition, supported by the world-famous writer and poet Tahar Ben Jelloun as its Honorary President, has all the ingredients to be an entertaining but also very inspiring one. The programme encompasses no less than 112 movies (30 long fictions, 50 short fictions, 32 documentary films) from 28 different countries. Discussions and debates with more than 60 high-level guests are also scheduled.
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Opening of the Competitions
Today, the beginning of the competition in the categories documentary films, long-fictions and Critics Prize has been launched with respectively: BOXE AVEC ELLE by LATIFA ROBBANA DOGHRI and SALEM TRABLESI / Tunisia, L’HÉROÏNE by CHÉRIF AGGOUNE / Algeria, and MAY IN THE SUMMER by CHERIEN DABIS / Jordan, USA, Qatar.
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In the category long fictions, 10 movies dealing with various topics of current social and political relevance have been selected. Moreover, 10 documentary films offering new insights into subjects such as the condition of women, the Syrian crisis and the Arab Spring are shortlisted for the competition. For the Critics Prize, 8 movies will be reviewed by a jury composed of three journalists and professional film reviewers.
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The official juries of the categories long fiction and documentary films, respectively headed by the Moroccan writer Tahar Ben Jelloun, Honorary President of the festival, and Yves Magat, journalist at the RTS international section, will award a gold and a silver FIFOG to the winners in each category.
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The Body at the Heart of the Festival
This year, the festival will focus on the body, both in its individual and social dimensions. Far away from the polished and normalized images of the human body, the selected movies raise awareness on topics such as handicap, desire, power, ageing, injury or expropriation. Since individuals always evolve within a given socio-political context, this 9th Edition also wants to give a fresh look at the changes that are currently shaping Oriental societies and their consequences in the West.
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Focus on Syria
Through the special selection Under the Sun of Damas dealing with the wounds of the Syrian people, FIFOG 2014 aims to explore a topic of current international political relevance. The selected movies present new approaches to the analysis of the situation in Syria and revisit the role of film as an instrument for peace and information.
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FI-FON-FAN and Side Events
Through the original and adapted FI-FON-FAN programme, FIFOG also aims to introduce children and young people to other socio-cultural realities. Four screenings dedicated to childhood are schedulded: Wednesday afternoon and Sunday morning around an oriental brunch. Moreover, FIFOG tries to strengthen the use of cinema as an educational tool by organizing screenings, workshops and debates in collaboration with schools from the region.
Finally, several art exhibitions on the human body and the aesthetics of security as well as a public debate entitled « Cinema and Revolution: the Case of Egypt » will be held in conjunction with the festival.
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