Each DVD in this set is available individually for $195.00 (limited quantities of individual VHS copies are $95 each). Please call (206) 322-0882 ext.202 to order or send an email to institutions@arabfilm.com

THE ARABS: A LIVING HISTORY

Vol. 1 — The Making of the Arabs
The first film in the series introduces audiences to the rich variety of life, opinion and history that exists in the region known as the Arab World; the lands which stretch from the mountains of Morocco to the deserts of the Arabian Peninsula, from the Valley of the Nile to the Eastern shores of the Mediterranean Sea. Our host, Basim Musallam, searches for the source of Arab identity, which crystallized early in the 20th century.

Vol. 2 — Between Two Worlds
Abdelmalek Tazi is trying to run a modern business in the ancient Moroccan city of Fez. He describes the conflicts of raising children in the modern world while instilling the deep tradition of Arab family values.

Vol. 3 — The City Victorious?
Volume three in the series explores one young man's exodus from an arduous farmers life in the village for the prospect of a better and more exciting life in the city of Cairo. He observes the struggle and hopes of workers living in villages and cities.

Vol. 4 — The Power of the Word
War-torn Lebanon is the meeting place, refuge and publishing center of contemporary intellectual thought in the Arab World. We discover the origins of Arab theatre and poetry, but above all we learn how Arab writers respond to the challenges of the modern world.

Vol. 5 — New Knowledge For Old
The oil-generated wealth of the latter part of the 20th century has transformed the small country of Kuwait from a small community of traders, fishermen and pearl divers into a thriving modern city-state. It's a place to which scholars and scientists now gather to exchange and explore new technological opportunities.

Vol. 6 — Ways of Faith
Small groups of individuals have long traveled to the central Sudanese city of Umduban to receive guidance and blessings from an elderly religious Sheikh. Umduban leads to an understanding that living Islam informs the very existence of Muslims the world over.

Vol. 7 — The Shadow of the West
Volume seven in the series focuses on the plight of the Palestinians, which can be seen as the most enduring residue of the modern encounter between the Arabs and the West. Edward Said traces the course of European involvement with the Near East via the Crusades, Napoleon's campaign in Egypt and the French and English entrepreneurs, adventurers and empire builders who came in his wake.

Vol. 8 — Building a Nation
Since gaining independence in 1962, Algeria has been in the process of becoming an industrialized nation. Building a Nation follows the effects of industrialization upon the country's traditional farm and peasant-based economy and upon the quality of day-to-day life as services and facilities have tried to keep pace with the population's rapid migration to the cities.

Vol. 9 — Family Ties
Family Ties centers around the mother of a large extended family of Jordanians living in Amman. The film introduces audiences to women who have non-traditional views concerning the roles of wives and mothers in Middle Eastern society. We also meet a Tunisian girl who longs to find her own apartment and a Jordanian woman who works as a commercial airline pilot.

Vol. 10 — The Arabs Now
Historian Basim Musallam returns to the Arab world with important questions that leaders in the region must ask themselves: What effects will the educational explosion, huge labor migration and the communications revolution have on the Arab World and its relationship with countries in the West?

Rental Information
This film is available from AFD for public and institutional showings and television broadcast. For information regarding rental rates and formats, please contact institutions@arabfilm.com for institutional screenings, or festivals@arabfilm.com for festivals, television, or other bookings.