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Movies have always thrived on the power of nostalgia, of viewers placing themselves in a historical context and seeing that self represented on screen — and this is just some of what Guinean filmmaker Thierno Souleymane Diallo explores in his debut feature “The Cemetery of Cinema.” Ostensibly the story of a quest to find a lost film — “Mouramani,” made in 1953 by Diallo’s compatriot Mamadou Touré — this documentary becomes both a playful meditation on why films matter and a rather sober examination of how history can be lost when not preserved. Diallo’s command of the thin line between absurdity and profundity makes it both an entertaining and contemplative watch.

No one is even sure what “Mouramani” is about — only that it’s the first film ever made by a Black French-speaking director who was a pioneer of the form in that region of the world, and whose work should be...

Titles include the feature debut of Palme d’Or winner Ely Dagher.

The feature debut of Palme d’Or winner Ely Dagher is one of six titles from Africa and the Middle East selected for works-in-progress initiative Final Cut in Venice.

The three-day workshop, run by the Venice Production Bridge of the Venice Film Festival, runs from September 7-9 and will wholly take place online this year due to the virus crisis. All six selected titles are in production, and will be presented to industry to create co-production and post-production opportunities.

Dagher’s feature is titled Harvest and centres on...

The Venice Film Festival has unveiled this year's lineup for its annual Final Cut workshop, picking six in-progress projects from Africa and the Arab world, which are looking for post-production support and partnership opportunities.

Drama features picked for the 2020 Final Cut in Venice selection include Harvest from Lebanese filmmaker Ely Dagher and two Algerian productions: Anis Djaad's Hadjer —The Olive Grove and Soula from director Salah Issaad. Three documentaries — Leila Chaibi's Tunisian-set Guardian of the Worlds; Our Choices from Syrian-born filmmaker Salah Al Ashkar, which follows events in Aleppo from the first anti-Assad demonstrations in 2011 up to the ...

The Venice Film Festival has unveiled this year's lineup for its annual Final Cut workshop, picking six in-progress projects from Africa and the Arab world, which are looking for post-production support and partnership opportunities.

Drama features picked for the 2020 Final Cut in Venice selection include Harvest from Lebanese filmmaker Ely Dagher and two Algerian productions: Anis Djaad's Hadjer —The Olive Grove and Soula from director Salah Issaad. Three documentaries — Leila Chaibi's Tunisian-set Guardian of the Worlds; Our Choices from Syrian-born filmmaker Salah Al Ashkar, which follows events in Aleppo from the first anti-Assad demonstrations in 2011 up to the ...