Fancy watching a free outdoor film on the steps to The Mall? Next week, a selection of Middle Eastern films will be screened at the Duke of York Steps next to the ICA (who are organising the events). Against the picturesque backdrop of St James Park, this pop-up cinema comes with amphitheatre-style seating.
Tuesday 20 August is curated by Abdellah Karroum, the Director of Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art, Doha and features Babylon (2012) by filmmakers Ala Eddine Slim, Ismaël and Youssef Chebbi’s. Filmed on the main border crossing between Tunisia and Libya, this video essay delves into the predicament of refugees displaced by the Arab Spring.
Wednesday 21 August is curated by Alia Al-Senussi and Abdullah AlTurki, well-known figures in the contemporary art world. They present The Legends (2013), Manal Al Dowayan's silent remix of belly dancing clips; three short films by Ziad Antar; and Rania Stephan's The Three Disappearences of Soad Hosni (2011).
Thursday 22 August, the final night of the screenings is curated by artist Ahmed Mater and features his Leaves Fall in All Seasons (2013), which focuses on immigrant workers on construction sites in and around Makkah, a short Q&A with Mater and Abdullah Al-Turki, and a screening of the newly restored 1969 Egyptian classic The Mummy/The Night of Counting the Years (Al Momia).
ICA Off-site: Cinema on the Steps is free but prior booking is required to ensure you get a seat. And you’re welcome to bring cushions and refreshments (and a brolly just in case).
