NAAS (Network of Arab Arthouse Screens), a network of independent art-house cinemas and cultural institutions in the Middle East, is launching Malafat Naqdiyya, an English/Arabic e-zine dedicated solely to writing on world cinema.
NAAS was founded by ArteEast (a New York based non-profit that promotes the work of contemporary Middle Eastern artists) in collaboration with a number of art-house theaters and cine clubs in the Middle East. Its members are united by the shared desire to develop cinema culture across the Arab world by bringing the best of local, regional and world cinema to their large combined audiences.
While the region has been actively producing exciting films for many generations, there is a lack of vibrant discussion and debate surrounding cinema as an art form in the Arab world. NAAS would like to fill this gap by providing a platform for the production of original, critical writing on world cinema in both English and Arabic.
We are interested in creative and original articles that engage critically with various topics within the umbrella category of ‘cinema.’ We welcome reviews (of films, festivals, etc.), interviews, features and scholarly pieces. We especially encourage works that engage with independent and art-house films, and Middle Eastern cinema more specifically. We are also particularly interested in Arabic writing on world cinema. We are NOT looking for summaries of films but for compelling engagements with the aesthetic medium of cinema. Examples of the kinds of articles/topics that would catch our eye are: an examination of the experimental wave in Egyptian cinema during the 1970s; a comparative study of different representations of sectarian struggle in world cinema; a look at the way in which the Civil War is reenacted in a given Lebanese film; a first-hand account of an international film festival, etc.
Articles should be between 600-2,000 words. Submissions will be reviewed on a rolling basis. They should include the author’s bio and an image related to the article’s content. Please make sure that all references to the work of others are cited clearly.
Submissions should be sent to sophiechamas@gmail.com. All submissions should be attached as MS Word Files (.doc, .docx). After your submission has been reviewed, you will receive an email from an editor informing you if your work has been accepted for publication. If accepted, your piece will be returned to you for editing with suggested changes and adjustments from the editorial team.
Please note that all contributions to Malafat Naqdiyya are voluntary, as we cannot pay writers at this time.
Sophie Chamas
Editor
