We are what we do. Here are some events developed to further the understanding and appreciation of Muslim and Arab culture in and around UNT.
The Arab Film Festival Texas, organized by CAMCSI, has been conceived to further the CAMCSI mission of creating meaningful dialogue and educational advancements in the understanding of contemporary Arab and Muslim cultures. The Arab Film Festival seeks to present to the public films that offer alternative representations of Arab life and provide a forum for the discussion of questions raised by the films. The ideas presented in the films range from modern traditions, family and identity, to the role of women in Arab society.
The festival will be an annual event for CAMCSI with the hope that the event will generate national and international recognition for the scope and excellence of Arab filmmaking.
The Arab Film Festival Texas will be the first of its kind in the state of Texas with no other organization hosting a concentrated collective showing of Arab films. The festival director, Tania Khalaf, is herself an Arab filmmaker and an assistant professor for the Radio Television and Film Department at the University of North Texas. She has chosen films that embody different genres, topics, and countries to give the festival diverse representation and pull in a varied audience. All of the films chosen for the festival are award winning and critically acclaimed.
DFW audiences will also have the added benefit of being able to engage with visiting filmmakers and UNT Faculty. The festival will kick off with an opening reception at the Angelika - Dallas on April 19th at 6:30pm and the opening film The Light In Her Eyes, with the director Julia Meltzer in attendance, at 8:00pm. The festival will also host a panel discussion with scholars and visiting filmmakers, entitled “A Lens on the Arab World,” on Saturday April 21st at 2pm. The panel will be in collaboration with “Project Nur,” a UNT student organization, whose mission is to promote peace, tolerance and acceptance of people under all religions, ethnicities, genders and cultures.
Free for Students with ID, Non-Students: $5 - per screening/$8 - for 2 screenings
“Like” the festival’s Facebook page, www.facebook.com/arabfilmfestivaltexas, and visit to participate in daily trivia for a chance to win free tickets!
The Contemporary Arab and Muslim Cultural Studies Institute (CAMCSI) at the University of North Texas is pleased to announce the availability of its recent show Your Night, My Day as a traveling exhibition for universities and organizations dedicated to exploring issues pertaining to the Middle East.
