In conversation with Prof. Alan Marcus
May Festival Event: Dramatising the Arab World
6:00pm–7:30pm, Friday 27th May 2016,
King’s College Conference Centre, University of Aberdeen
Discussing British movies set in the Arab world, from The Thief of Bagdad (1940) and David Lean's classic Lawrence of Arabia (1962) starring Peter O'Toole, to the romantic comedy Salmon Fishing in the Yemen (2011) featuring Ewan McGregor and Emily Blunt, set in contrast with two films by Arab women directors -- the award-winning Lebanese feature film Caramel (2007) and the Saudi Arabian-German co-production Wadjda (2012), this special edition of the Director’s Cut series will feature Middle East expert Frances Guy in conversation with Professor Alan Marcus. A native of Edinburgh and graduate of the University of Aberdeen, Frances Guy was Britain’s Ambassador to Yemen (2001-4), Head of the Foreign Office’s Engaging the Islamic World group (2004-6), Ambassador to Lebanon (2006-11), the Foreign Secretary’s envoy to the Syrian opposition, representative of UN Women in Iraq (2012-14) based in Baghdad, and currently Head of Middle East region for Christian Aid and President of the British Society of Middle Eastern Studies.
Resources
- The Thief of Bagdad (1940) trailer
- Lawrence of Arabia (1962) trailer
- Peter O’Toole interview on Lawrence of Arabia
- Salmon Fishing in the Yemen (2012) trailer
- Ewan McGregor & Emily Blunt on making Salmon Fishing in the Yemen
- Caramel (2007) trailer
- David Frost interview with Nadine Labaki, director of Caramel
- Wadjda (2013) trailer
- Interview with Haifaa Al-Mansour, director of Wadjda
- BBC article on Haifaa Al-Mansour and Wadjda
- Independent interview with Haifaa Al-Mansour
- Washington Post interview with Haifaa Al-Mansour
- Frances Guy biography