Refugee Documentary Critical of U.S., Mubarak Regime to Premiere in Hollywood

The Art of Flight, a guerilla documentary about Sudanese refugees in Egypt, will make its World Premiere in Hollywood at the AFI International Film Festival (Nov. 3 -- 13, 2005).

DUBAI (PRWEB) September 25, 2005 -- Davin Anders Hutchins and Mahmoud Kaabour of Dubai-based Nomads Land Films (www.nomadslandfilms.com) have cracked the international festival circuit with their documentaries The Art of Flight and Being Osama. The Art of Flight, a guerilla documentary about Sudanese refugees in Egypt, will make its World Premiere in Hollywood at the AFI International Film Festival (Nov. 3 -- 13, 2005).

Associated with the prestigious American Film Institute, AFI Fest has premiered such films as The Sea Inside; Beyond The Sea; House Of Flying Daggers; A Very Long Engagement; Monster; House Of Sand And Fog; Talk To Her; City Of God; Nowhere In Africa; The Quiet American; Monster's Ball; Life Is Beautiful; The Cider House Rules; Before Night Falls; O Brother, Where Art Thou?; and Amores Perros. (www.afifest.com)

Hutchins feature-length film tells the story of three people -- a refugee from southern Sudan, a human rights activist from northern Sudan and an American journalist in self-imposed exile -- all living in Cairo. For very different reasons, the trio has found themselves struggling to survive in Egypt -- a U.S.-financed dictatorship which has reluctantly become their home. The film is being distributed by indie doc distributor Seventh Art Releasing in the United States (www.7thart.com). Seventh Arts releases include six Academy Award® nominated films - most recently 2004 Best Feature Length Documentary Nominee Balseros - and the 1997 Oscar® winner The Long Way Home.

"Its a real honor that a film shot secretly with a camcorder and laptop was accepted in an A-list Hollywood festival," says Hutchins. If the Egyptian government knew what I was doing, I would have easily been arrested. I hope the film can shine a light on the repressive environment Hosni Mubarak has created for refugees and Egyptian citizens alike and help the U.S. change its stance to tolerating human rights abuses in Egypt."

In addition to works from Sudanese painters and torture victims, the film also features an original soundtrack by Al-Khafiyeen, a musical ensemble of refugees whose members keep changing as people move on to their new destinations. The film delves deep into questions about the nature of charity, the consequences of American empire and the price of transience.

After its successful run on the Canadian Broadcasting Company (CBC), Being Osama is an official entrant in the respected Raindance Film Festival in London (Sept. 28 - Oct. 6, 2005). (www.raindance.co.uk) Being Osama is a documentary about how six men named Osama struggle with racial intolerance in post-9-11 North America. Shot against the cultural backdrop of Montreal, the film follows these six men during the American invasion of Iraq and continues for 14 months.

I feel truly vindicated that the plight of these six Osamas has resonated with audiences in Western and Arab countries, says Kaabour. I hope the film will help shatter the stereotypes of what being an Arab means and contribute to building bridges between the two cultures."

Mahmoud Kaabour is a first-time director from Beirut, Lebanon, a graduate of the Mel Oppenheim School of Cinema and the youngest director ever to be commissioned by the CBC. Being Osama has received three international awards to date, a special screening at the Harvard Film Archive, and a nomination for the Best Practice in fighting racism in Canada for 2004. Mahmoud now lives in Dubai, where he works as a freelance director and writer.

San Francisco native Davin Anders Hutchins is a first-time director who has ten years experience in television journalism at CNN, Kuwait TV and TechTV. He is currently general manager of Nomads Land Films. The company, which began with a laptop and camcorder kit in a spare bedroom in Cairo, has grown into a full-fledged production house in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, which produces documentaries for international broadcasters. I hope both films will help raise the profile of documentary filmmaking in Dubai."

Hutchins next project is an historical documentary about alternative interpretations of the life of Jesus Christ. Kaabour says he is planning a documentary on the lives of Sufis living in Europe.

For interviews with the filmmakers or a preview DVD, please call +971-4-362-5632. Press kits and photos of both films can be found at: www.nomadslandfilms.com/presskit.htm and www.nomadslandfilms.com/presskitosama.htm.

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