Rafea: Solar Mama (Rafea: Solar Mama)
Arab Feature Film Competition
Jehane Noujeim, Mona Eldaief / Feature Documentary / United States of America, Denmark, Jordan, Egypt / 2012 / 76 min / Colour / HDCAM
In Arabic / English subtitles
Interests: Documentary, Environmental
MENA Premiere
Rated: Parental guidance is advised for viewers under the age of 13. Individuals under the age of 13 are not admitted into cinemas unless accompanied by an individual aged 18 or older.
Synopsis
Rafea, a Jordanian Bedouin mother, leaves her desert home to travel to India, where she is joined by 30 illiterate grandmothers from around the world at the Barefoot College, which trains women in the technology of solar energy. This education will mean a better life for her family and the village – but will her husband and his traditional values prevent her success? This film shows the outstanding capabilities of Arab women and their attempts to break the social traditions that hinder their careers and limit their contributions to the social and economic development of their society, their nations and families. Directors Jehane Noujaim and Mona Eldaief focus on important issues in Arab society and shed light on the importance of identifying, developing and employing the skills of individuals to improve their lives.
About the Directors
Educated at Harvard, Jehane Noujaim won a prestigious TED Prize in 2006, using it to create the global film event Pangea Day. Films include ‘Mokattam’ (1998); DGA award-winner ‘Startup.com’ (2001); and ‘Control Room’ (2004). Mona Eldaief studied at NYU and started her career on ‘MTV News Unfiltered’. She worked as a camera operator on ‘A Wedding in Ramallah’ (2002); co-directed ‘Her Name Is Zelda’ in 2003; and worked as an editor on Noujaim’s ‘Control Room’.
Credits
- Director
- Jehane Noujeim, Mona Eldaief
- Producer
- Mette Heide
- Editor
- Jean Tsien, Jenny Golden
- Executive Producer
- Don Edkins, Nick Fraser, Mette Hoffmann Meyer
- Music
- Jonas Colstrup
- Cinematographer
- Mona Eldaief
- Cast
- Rafea, Bunker Roy, Raouf Dabbas, Umm Badr, Abu Badr