16 Aug 2015 07:30
Australian filmgoers can look forward to tales of street racing women, disastrous road trips, and a father’s quest for acceptance of his special needs son at the 12th annual Arab Film Festival Australia, which is sponsored by Etihad Airways.
The festival, which
opened its 2015 program in Sydney last night, will showcase 10 films from the
United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon and Palestine.
Etihad Airways’
Senior Vice President Marketing, Shane O’Hare, said the airline was proud of
its partnership with the Arab Film Festival Australia.
“Etihad Airways first
supported the Arab Film Festival Australia in 2008, which makes this one of the
airline’s longest-running sponsorships in Australia.
“As the national
airline of the United Arab Emirates, Etihad Airways is committed to promoting a
deeper appreciation of modern Arabian arts and culture and to playing a small
but important role in bringing stories from the Arab world to Australian
audiences.”
Arab Film Festival
Australia Co-director Fadia Abboud said Etihad Airways’ support was key to the
festival reaching a wider audience.
“It’s our mission to
showcase the diversity of the Arab experience to Australian audiences, and our
partnership with Etihad Airways is important for delivering that objective.
“The airline’s
support has enabled the festival to bring acclaimed director Amin Dora from
Beirut to Sydney for opening night as this year’s special guest. This is a
significant coup for the festival as Mr Dora’s opening night film Ghadi was
Lebanon's official submission to the Academy Awards and has been well received
around the world.”
The festival is produced
by Information and Cultural Exchange (ICE). Its organising committee represents
Australia’s diverse Arabic-speaking communities and cultures.
The Arab Film
Festival Australia will run in Sydney until 16 August, Melbourne from 21-23
August and Canberra from 28-30 August. For more information, visit www.arabfilmfestival.com.au