Middle East Now Festival Celebrates 10th Edition in Florence

The Middle East Now festival marks its tenth anniversary in Florence from April 2 to 7, 2019, with a special edition focusing on remix as a tool for cultural creativity. Organized by the cultural association Map of Creation, directed by Lisa Chiari and Roberto Ruta, the festival presents over 40 film premieres, a focus on Iranian director Asghar Farhadi (two-time Oscar winner for Best Foreign Language Film), and numerous special projects including photography exhibitions, multimedia installations, music, and theater. Venues include Cinema La Compagnia, Cinema Stensen, Teatro Cantiere Florida, and Fondazione Studio Marangoni. Highlights include the multimedia installation 'Flavours of Iraq' by Feurat Alani and Leonard Cohen, the photography exhibition 'Until We Return' by Dalia Khamissy on Syrian refugees in Lebanon, the lifestyle project ISHKAR promoting craftsmanship from war-torn countries, the documentary theater piece 'I, Dareen T.' about Palestinian poet Dareen Tatour, and the visual concert 'Love and Revenge' by Lebanese duo Rayess Bek and La Mirza.