*A still from ‘The Translator’ directed by Anas Khalaf and Rana Kazkaz*

The Uncertainty of Everything: 'The Translator' by Rana Kazkaz and Anas Khalaf at Tallinn Black Nights

E. Nina Rothe November 28, 2020

While there have been loads of documentaries about Syria and its place in the Arab Spring revolutions of 2011, no narrative film has even come close to the way ‘The Translator’ tells the story. A complete story that goes as far back as the first Syrian revolts in 1980 under Bashar al-Assad’s father, Hafez which resulted in the Hama massacre in 1982. The filmmakers telling this spellbinding story are husband and wife team Anas Khalaf and Rana Kazkaz, both multi-hyphenated nationalities but at the center of it all, Syrian. Because let’s face it, there are currently many more Syrian living spread out around the world than in Syria itself.

Khalid Abdalla in a still from 'In the Last Days of the City'

Tamer El Said's 'In the Last Days of the City': "What do you do when the world is collapsing around you and you only have a camera?"

E. Nina Rothe April 26, 2018

I believe there are two types of films. There are those that take you on an adventure -- meaning you go through a rollercoaster of emotions and excitement while sitting in the theater, surrounded by others who share the same thrills with you.

Then there are movies which bring you on a journey, one that can last you a lifetime. Egyptian filmmaker Tamer El Said's 'In the Last Days of the City' belongs to the latter category. Once you inhabit its well-shot landscapes and meet its unforgettable cast of characters, they never, ever let go of you. And that's a good thing! More than a year and a half later, after my first viewing they continue to color my dreams and tint my emotions, but most importantly, they have changed the way I think of Cairo, Egypt and its courageous inhabitants.

'The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975' : The Revolution Will Be Documented

E. Nina Rothe February 10, 2018

I think the reason I love cinema so much is that, as a medium, it possesses the most potential for uniting the world. While we watch a DVD of a French film at home, sit in a theater being washed over by the images of an Italian B & W classic, or surreptitiously check out the recent download of a Bollywood movie on our iPad, we are undeniably transported to other lands, other eras and, most importantly, other ways of looking at things. But while the promise is there every time we choose a title, few films achieve the grand objective of forever changing our mind and enriching our world permanently.

Swedish filmmaker Göran Hugo Olsson’s documentary 'The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975' is one of those once-in-a-lifetime films which seamlessly reaches the full cinematic goal of changing its viewers’ world for good.

Favorite movies only need apply. Life is too short to write about what I didn't enjoy.

The Uncertainty of Everything: 'The Translator' by Rana Kazkaz and Anas Khalaf at Tallinn Black Nights

Tamer El Said's 'In the Last Days of the City': "What do you do when the world is collapsing around you and you only have a camera?"

'The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975' : The Revolution Will Be Documented

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