Presented as part of Bijou Horizons, a film series that brings awareness to diverse cultures through screenings of acclaimed international cinema. Free admission for UI students and $6 for general public.

U. of Iowa students who see all five Horizons shows in a semester will be eligible to win a study abroad scholarship! Miss one? There will be "make up" opportunities with other regularly programmed foreign films at FilmScene.

THE IDOL

"Beautifully shot, and with a powerful performance from Barhom, this is a biopic at its best." -Leah Pickett, Chicago Reader

"Writer-director Hany Abu-Assad doesn't tell simple stories, even when he does." -Mark Jenkins, NPR

"Out of the war rubble emerges one of the most irresistible movies of the year." -David Lewis, San Francisco Chronicle

The latest film from acclaimed, Academy Award-nominated feaure filmmaker Hany Abu-Assad ("Paradise Now," "Omar"), is a biopic set in Gaza--synonymous to so many with conflict, destruction and despair. But to Palestinian pop singer Mohammed Assaf, and his sister Nour, Gaza is their home and their playground. It's where they, along with their best friends Ahmad and Omar, play music, football and dare to dream big. Their band might play on second hand, beaten up instruments but their ambitions are sky-high. Mohammed and Nour have a seemingly impossible goal: to compete on the program "Arab Idol." Nothing less than playing the world famous Cairo Opera Hall will do. It might take them a lifetime to get there but, as Mohammed will find out, some dreams are worth living for.