The Festival Also Offers Special Programming To Local Audiences, And Unprecedented Access To The Diversity And Range Of Authentic Arab Experiences. The Festival Has Gained An International Reputation For Excellence And Offers Its Audiences Access To Media That Reflects The Lives Of Under-Represented And Provocative Themes And Groups On A Cultural And Societal Level.

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Halloween Event: Al-Ta'weeza (The Curse)

Since This Year's Arab Film Festival Will Cross Through Halloween, It Feels Only Right To Bring In A Little Spookiness Into The Program.

In The Last Few Years, Audiences Across The Globe Have Rediscovered And Fallen In Love With The Film Anyab (Fangs), A 1980s Horror-Musical That Is A Vampiric Arab Spinoff Of The Beloved 1975 American Cult Classic, The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Anyab Is The Work Of Mohammed Shebl, An Egyptian Filmmaker And Critic Who Is Known For His Campy Horror Films And His Work Both With And About Famed Filmmaker Youssef Chahine. Shebl Sadly Passed Away In 1996 At Just 47 Years Old And In The Years Since Then, His Work Has Become More And More Difficult To Access. While Many Respected Film And Cultural Institutions Have Screened Anyab, Audiences May Have Noticed That Every Screening Features A Low Quality Print With The Logo For A Now Defunct Cable Channel In The Corner. The Only Place Anyone Seems To Know Where To Access This Film Is Through The Internet Archive. The Rest Of His Work Is Nearly Impossible To Find, Especially With English Subtitles, As No One Knows Who Holds The Original Copies Of Shebl's Work.

Earlier This Year, The Arab Film And Media Institute Was Able To Access One Of Shebl's Other Horror Films, Al-Ta'weeza, Also Known As The Curse Or The Talisman In English. Similar To Other Known Copies Of Shebl's Work, This Copy Of Al-Ta'weeza May Not At Its Best Quality And Still Bears A Cable Logo In The Top Right Corner But Despite This, Fans Of A Campy 1980's Horror Films Will Still Enjoy Shebl's Creepy, Bizarre (And Surprisingly Funny) Work And Appreciate The Rarity Of This Special Screening.

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