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The London Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) Film Festival opened with a bang tonight. The event, organised in conjunction with Draw A Smile charity, featured a film production from Egyptian-American comedian Ahmed Ahmed, entitled Just Like Us.
More than just a film festival, MENA aims to combat myths about the region, bring together the diaspora, make cultural links, as well as improve understanding about Arab communities.
Earlier on, we spoke to ambitious film lover, Yasmin El Derby, who is the brains behind the film festival. She told The Platform why she chose to start the project and what tickles her movie taste buds.
The London MENA Film Festival runs from 14th – 18th October 2011. To book your tickets, please email tickets@menafilmfest.com. For full details, please visit www.menafilmfest.com.
Filmed by: Hode El-Soudani / Edited by: Tom Pugh / Photo by: Raashid Riza