“I just wanna go back
Nike Airs, All That
CD, old Mercedes
Drive 'round listenin' to Shady, like (oh)”
-“1999,” Charli XCX
What sort of world was dawning in 1999? Which of globalization’s promises were, in fact, mirages? A late offering from Egypt’s foremost auteur, THE OTHER pivots around construction plans for an interfaith center in the Sinai, funded by an international consortium. Is another “end of history”—peace in the Middle East—about to become a reality? Adam (Hani Salama), privileged son of the family behind the project, falls in love with Hanane (Hanan Turk), a journalist investigating corruption. The resulting “star-crossed lovers” narrative is more than it seems, folding in prescient concerns around religious fundamentalism, neo-colonialism, and class struggle in an Egypt on the brink.
Awards & Nominations
1999 Cannes Film Festival - Winner, François Chalais Award
1999 New York Film Festival - Official Selection
1999 Toronto International Film Festival - Official Selection
Contact Zones: Cinema of Globalization, 1989–2024
Fall 2026 Lecture Series
“We might have come to the end of something,” Adam Curtis reflected recently, referring to "globalization," which began with the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. But just how well do we know this world that we were, until recently, living in? Brief lectures before screenings and open discussions afterwards will cover background on local histories related to films in the series as well as theories of globalization, neoliberalism, migration, and digital culture. Presented in collaboration with the School of the Art Institute of Chicago’s Department of Art History, Theory, and Criticism. Lecturer: Professor Daniel R. Quiles. Select titles offered with Sunday encores; encores do not include lecture.
The Film Center is ADA accessible. This presentation will be projected without open captions. The theater is hearing-loop equipped. For accessibility requests, please email filmcenter@saic.edu