Admission $3.50
Note: This film was cancelled. Ambassadours (Tunisia, 1979, 102 mins) was shown instead.

The first Arab feature directed by a woman, Nights of Fire is a dramatization of a traditional folk tale, set and shot in a primitive mountain village on the edge of the Sahara Desert. Michael Webb of the American Film Institute writes, “In her first feature, Farida Bourquia demonstrates a mastery of narrative and character development that is heightened by a poetic sense of rural tradition.” The drama involves three adolescents, Ali, Meryem and Brahim, who live in hiding on the outskirts of the village after a series of tragedies have wiped out the rest of their family. Their story, full of mysterious occurrences, has been elaborated upon over time and incorporated into village lore. Director Farida Bourquia weaves this sense of intrigue and obscurity into her telling of the tale, focusing on the questionable actions of the villagers, and on the determination of the three youngsters to reinstate their family's position in the community.