Noteworthy as the first feature film made in Yemen, this pleasant if slight romantic drama follows a handsome photographer's assistant named Tariq (Nabil Saber), who is set to marry Bilquis (Redha Khoder), a judge's beautiful daughter. In keeping with local customs, this will be an arranged marriage, and the young couple will not meet until the day of the wedding. As luck would have it, a chance encounter in the street with Ines (Dania Hammoud), a poor but free-spirited woman, puts Tariq in a bind: should he follow his heart with Ines, or uphold family honor and traditions and wed Bilquis? On the fringes of the story is Federico (Paolo Romano), Tariq's Italian-born employer, who has his own problems concerning what he is allowed to photograph in Yemen's conservative society. British-Yemeni filmmaker Bader Ben Hirsi is clearly working within inflexible guidelines here on what he is able to address directly regarding challenges to traditions and taboos (as it is, the film turned out to be a little too provocative for its home base and was banned in Yemen). Still, film aficionados interested in Middle Eastern cinema are likely to enjoy this amiable effort. Recommended. (P. Hall)
A New Day in Old Sana'a
Typecast, 90 min., in Arabic w/English subtitles, not rated, DVD: $24.99 Volume 23, Issue 2
A New Day in Old Sana'a
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