Sat 10th April, 7.30pm
Pomegranates and Myrrh Al-mor wa al rumman (Palestine 2008)
Najwa Najjar's debut feature combines a stellar cast, a set of remarkable locations within the Palestinian territories, and a powerful story of love under pressure. With the politics left in the background, Najjar opens with a brilliant ensemble scene – the joyous wedding of olive farmer Zaid (newcomer Ashraf Farah) and dancer Kamar
(the stunning Al Masri), the moment beforetheir lives unravel...
1h35m / DVD / Arabic, English and Hebrew with English subtitles / 12A
£4 / £3 under 16. Pay on the door.
Sun. 11th April, 7.30pm
On the Way to School İki Dil Bir Bavul (Turkey 2009)
Recently graduated primary teacher Emre has been sent to run a remote school in Turkish Kurdistan. He arrives to discover a village with no running water, a somewhat relaxed approach to school attendance and pupils who only speak Kurdish, a language fervently prohibited by the Turkish government. Filmed over one year, this is a beautiful, affectionate and gently humorous observation of Emre (never far from a phone call home to his mum) and his class, as they struggle to come to terms with one another's customs.
£4 / £3 under 16. Pay on the door.
Tour organised by Middle East Festival and Filmhouse in Edinburgh www.mesp.org.uk ww.filmhousecinema.com
A fascinating documentary about the No Mind New Age festival held in Sweden. Three miles north of Molkom, hidden deep in the lakeside forests of Sweden, lies Angsbacka, a 21st Century playground for adults. Once a year, their gates open to a thousand international participants, who are placed in "sharing groups" at random. A Swedish celebrity, a Californian hippy, a Finnish grandmother and a back-packing Australian rugby coach are amongst the group that take part in this two-week emotional roller-coaster. Firewalking, shamanism, tantric sex and myriad of other experiences guide the participants towards enlightenment, love, loathing and themselves. Directed by: Rob Cannan and Corinna McFarlane