Is it hot in here or is it just our new look?

We recently updated the look of Cinemoz.com, the biggest change being a large comment box (إتصل بنا) at the bottom of the page. Since we put it up, we have been getting an endless amount of emails from our users. Some ask for movies, some ask for shows, but the majority just want to send us a big fat “THANK YOU”.

So what is the hype about? Apparently Cinemoz.com has become pretty popular among Arab users because of its design, ease of use and diverse content. 

The new player is now a sleeker, chromeless and friendlier interface—and it puts the content you love at center stage. We’ve been sweating the details and working around the clock so that you can enjoy this Ramadan relaxing with your favorite show or movie whenever you want.

While it is still the early days for the Arab World’s busiest time of year, we have been extremely pleased by the warm welcome we have received to date. Our service has clearly struck a chord with Arab consumers, and we are excited about adding more great content and additional distribution partners to further increase its appeal. We are grateful to our content partners and subscribers who have been instrumental to our growth and we will continue to innovate the Cinemoz service on behalf of all our customers.

We’re doing the best we can to reply to each and every email we get, but with over 300 emails of feedback a day, we know we might miss a few. Still, we’d like to let everyone know that we’re constantly listening to customer feedback and finding ways to bring you the best possible user experience. We hope you enjoy watching your favorite shows and movies on Cinemoz. 

When it comes to premium video experiences online, we see the big picture.

حصرياً على سينموز! شاهدوا المسلسل الجديد “زمن البرغوت” في عرضه الاول خلال رمضان ٢٠١٢، وبالتزامن مع عرضه على الشاشات التلفزيونية!  

 هو أول مسلسل، منذ زمن طويل، يجمع في صفوفه الأولى نجوماً مثل أيمن زيدان رشيد عساف وسلوم حداد. وإضافة إلى الثلاثي، 

يشارك في العمل نخبة أخرى من النجوم منهم، عبد الهادي الصباغ ، رفيق سبيعي،  حسام تحسين بك سحر فوزي، وأمل بوشوشة!

We warned our fans to look out for special clues on our Twitter and Facebook pages for a big surprise, but for our big Cinemoz lovers and loyal viewers, we wanted to do something extraordinary. 

Like a little story that needs to be discovered puzzle by puzzle, we hid it in a few places, and got lots of excitement and anticipation, so we are now making it official:

You could be coming to Beirut, thanks to your favorite movies and TV shows during the month of Ramadan! 

All you have to do is watch your favorite content and click on the little bananas that we have cleverly hidden inside our movies and shows. The more you watch, the more bananas you get. Just make sure to log into CInemoz.com with your Facebook account to register your points. 

Try it out. If you’re quick to start collecting points, you’ll get ahead of the competition. It is a Mozabaqa, after all. 

You can find out more at http://www.cinemoz.com/mozabaqa. Good luck, and keep your eye out for the Moz!

Over time, the popularization and advancement of technology has warranted the creation of some pretty unique movies, documentaries, and series. Just to name a few: MAMNOU3!, A Summer Not To Forget, Gaza-Strophe, etc.. 

In the traditional film distribution chain, too many ideas and projects go unfinished and incomplete, in spite of a clear niche or existing audience. Filming, marketing and all the other necessary steps in creating this content, especially funding, can be daunting – and can even stand in the way – for some.

This is where Aflamnah comes into play. The site is the the first crowdfunding initiative dedicated to the Arab World, and the founders have have high hopes they can make a difference with projects that will come out of the region.

Crowdfunding is not a new concept; Cinemoz saw success in crowdfunding with Almoz Famous, but this is the first to focus purely on films in the region, so we’ll be keeping our watchful eye on it. 

Aflmanah states on their website, “[we] think there are some really great ideas out there: compelling stories to share, fascinating dreams to realize, but money is stopping them from happening; and here’s why: we, probably like you, don’t like to ask anyone for help and certainly not for money. It is also sometimes difficult to offer financial help as it is awkward…Aflamnah in the world of marriage is the matchmaker, in the world of business is the middle-man, and in the world of crowd funding the one that makes it all possible. Aflamnah is the glue between creativity and finance, dream and reality, you and the world out there.”

Aflmanah is certainly one of the cooler crowdfunding websites to come along in a while; it looks and feels as if it was created for the Arab world, and will hopefully be a driving force for Arab filmmakers to get their projects off the ground and onto screens. It’s still too early to say, since the site was lunched on July 1st, but hopefully we’ll be showing some successfully backed Aflamnah projects really soon.

If you haven’t watched it yet, you should really check out MAMNOU3!

The comedy, who’s title means “forbidden,” is a mockumentary-style web series about the day-to-day inner workings of the Lebanese Censorship Bureau. 

Launched July 1st, each episode is 10 minutes long, and takes on creator Nadim Lahoud’s particular ideas of censorship contraints. The comedy was developed within, and partially as a response to, these constraints.

There is a hodgepodge of laws concerning what can and cannot be shown on Lebanese screens, and MAMNOU3! shows it’s time to poke at (and poke fun of) who decides what is MAMNOU3! 

Check out our interview below:

You took the very clever choice of adopting the mockumentary format for MAMNOU3! Why? Any inspiration in specific?  

I’ve been a big fan of the format since Monty Python made use of it in certain Flying Circus sketches. Rob Reiner’s Spinal Tap is another stand-out mockumentary that I found hilarious. There is also the BBC’s The Office and Twenty-Twelve.

A mockumentary, through the use of one-on-one interviews with the characters, allows us to tap into much greater depth in much less time; it’s a more direct route into the character’s often convoluted thoughts. 

With MAMNOU3! I really wanted people to feel like they were entering into the Censorship Bureau themselves - discovering what lies behind those closed doors along with this fictional documentary crew. The mockumentary format allowed us to achieve just that.

Is the show told from your perspective?

I took the conscious decision not to use any narration, which makes the perspective much more open to interpretation. The viewer never gets the impression of being ‘guided’ to any conclusions. The camera simply acts as a passive, inside observer of the daily lunacies of censorship in Lebanon.

Will you tell us a little bit about your writing and development process? How did you find your subjects and stories?

It’s important to note that the body in charge of censorship in Lebanon is as transparent as a block of lead. 

MAMNOU3! isn’t an investigative journalistic report because I didn’t fancy the job of having to dig to uncover the processes of one of the country’s security services.

The reasons they give for their decisions are so vague and cryptic that they are risible.”Threatens civil peace” is a common one. How a roll of film can threaten civil peace is anyone’s guess. 

My role was simply to imagine the characters and processes behind such ridiculous decisions. It turns out, after conversing with a few people who have had the misfortune of being ‘handled’ by the department in question, that MAMNOU3! is in fact an alarmingly accurate depiction of what really goes on behind those closed doors.

Tell us about how you’ve released the show, the reactions you’ve received and what plans are in the pipeline?

We released our first two episodes on our website on the 1st of July and we’ll be releasing a new episode every Sunday afternoon. MAMNOU3! is also available on Cinemoz. I’m quite excited about this, not only because it will be a great boost to our audience figures, but because we are testing out a new model for independent film production in the region; one that I hope will prove successful. 

In terms of reaction there has been a lot of enthusiasm in general. I think we have managed to pump some much needed fresh-air into the world of Arab comedy, with both the break-through style and by making fun of something that has never been made fun of. 

Some people have found that we haven’t been scandalous enough (yet), and others have already offered help in case I end up in prison. My answer to both is that our aim is not to be confrontational. We just want to make people laugh by highlighting the absurdities of censorship. We didn’t create this absurdity, we just highlighted its presence. 

The film’s title and the tone used really issues a challenge to the viewer. 

Yes. I mentioned earlier that our aim wasn’t to be confrontational, but this doesn’t mean that MAMNOU3! doesn’t aim to have an impact. 

Although MAMNOU3! is a comedy, it does not shy away from showing censorship in its raw form: how it tries to control the public debate on issues deemed ‘sensitive’ by stripping the arts. That is a theme throughout the series.  

People are already upset when any specific film or performance gets censored. I want to spark curiosity about the issues of a censorship authority in a democracy. When it comes to the arts, it should be forbidden to forbid.   

MAMNOU3! is presented by the SKeyes Center for Media and Cultural Freedom. What is SKeyes and what was their role in producing MAMNOU3! ?

The centre’s principal goals are to 1) monitor violations of Freedom of the Press and Culture, and 2) to defend the rights and freedom of expression of journalists and artists.

MAMNOU3! is quite a groundbreaking step for SKeyes. They have proven to be innovative in the past, but backing a project like MAMNOU3! has shown a willingness to use new tools in the fight for cultural freedom in Lebanon and across the Levant.

SKeyes has done a lot more than just fund this project; its relationships with artists and the media have been invaluable to making MAMNOU3! a success. Besides backing MAMNOU3! from day one, it was a SKeyes conference on censorship in Lebanon that I attended last December that was the spark for this whole idea. 

Did bringing on any of the actors make any significant changes to the story? 

I think the whole cast did an amazing job in making MAMNOU3! what it turned out to be.

They each understood their characters perfectly while bringing a bit of their flair in as well. 

From Paul Mattar as the epic Colonel, Lareine Koury as the iron Lamia, Razane Jamal as the frivolous Joyce, Bassel Madi as the crushing Najem, Rami Atallah as the disenchanted Sleiman, Habib Demian as the ever servient Melhem and Elie Bassila as the hapless film school student: The cast was a marvellous ensemble and a lot of fun to work with on set.

We also have some guest appearances starting in Episode 7 that make for some of my favorite performances. I will say no more.  

We really enjoyed Paul Mattar/the Colonel’s performance. Can you tell us what this actor brought to his character? 

The Colonel is quite a complex character and not an easy one to play. He sees himself as a guardian standing at the gates, protecting people from blasphemous artistic impurities that pollute the world. But at the same time he is a self-styled literary man - a poet.

We were very lucky to have Paul Mattar play this role. Paul managed perfectly depict the man we imagined from the moment he picked up the script. Once in uniform he was unstoppable!

I think he very much enjoyed playing this character and it shows in his performance. 

Also, his moustache was grown specifically for MAMNOU3!, which is brilliant.  

You’re actually an Investment Banker. Is MAMNOU3! just a parenthesis or did you catch the TV bug?

MAMNOU3! was a small crazy idea that I found good enough to pursue until completion, putting other projects on hold. 

If MAMNOU3! is a parenthesis, I’m sure it won’t be the last. There’s still so much I haven’t made fun of. 

There is really no other way us to describe this week’s features except to call them classics, and classics in the making. 

In case you didn’t notice, we’ve extended Documentary Week (أسبوع وثائقي ) on Cinemoz. Apparently, our fans love documentaries! Whether our fans are watching documentaries that address heavy, “Oscar-worthy” subjects with solemn gravitas and ponderous meaning, or lighter topics that focus on small, odd things in society, we’re keeping our documentaries highlighted for a while because you- the Moz fan- have asked.

This week’s recommended series is the Syrian  الوزير و سعادة حرمه. Surprisingly, a few hours after we put it up, we got a Thank You email from a woman in Beirut saying she’s been waiting to watch it again. Turns out, she wasn’t the only one. This is one of Syrian actor Iman Zaidan’s  (أيمن زيدان) most popular shows, along with Susan Najm Aldeen (سوزان نجم الدين)

Everyone has a movie that they don’t really want to admit is a favorite, and yet, they’ve watched it over and over and just can’t get enough.  We’ve discovered that inside the Moz offices, that movie is بنات وسط البلد Call it a guilty pleasure or a frivolous indulgence, but the girls (and we’re sure some of the boys) at Cinemoz can’t help but love it. So we put it in the spotlight for the rest of you who won’t admit you enjoy it. 

We also have a special show up for you: MAMNOU3! This is the first web series about  about the day-to-day inner workings of Lebanon’s Censorship Bureau. The first episode, استقبال, shows a documentary crew coming into the Censorship Bureau for the first time and are greeted by an unprepared officer named Joyce. It’s sarcastic and funny, but tackles some serious stuff. Watch the first episode (it’s only 10 minutes long) and judge for yourself.

As always, we welcome your feedback about anything you see on Cinemoz. You can send suggestions and comments to us at info@cinemoz.com. In the meantime, enjoy this week’s features! 

The Cinemoz ‘Movie of the Week’ is Game of Love (لعبة الحب), and if you like romance, comedy, and drama - this one is for you!

Why you should watch it: the excellent performances put out by the film’s stars.

The Egyptian blockbuster stars Khaled Abol Naga (خالد ابو النجا), who better known as ’Mr Superman’ to Arabic film fans, and Hend Sabry (هند صبري), Tunisian actress, lawyer and UN World Food Program Ambassador.

The film tells the story of Issam (Abol Naga), an uptight and narrow-minded fashion company executive looking to hire someone to boost the company’s creativity. Enter Leila (Sabry), the free-spirited, liberal and outspoken new designer who wins the position after delivering a panicky presentation.

Before Leila leaves, she bumps into Issam, an old friend who’s last encounter took place years ago when Issam accompanied her to Alexandria in what seemed like the trip from hell.

Throughout the film, the hostility that Leila and Issam hold for each other begins to melt after Issam’s loveless marriage starts to disintegrate, while Leila reaches a dead-end with her boyfriend Dr. Omar who refuses to marry her. Gradually, the game of love is played and Issam and Leila grow to become more than close friends.

Behind the scenes here at Cinemoz, we’re always making little adjustments to make the site better for our users. A lot of these tweaks come about based on our own use of the site, but we also implement a lot of the suggestions submitted to us by our users. Lately, we’ve been focusing on our search tools — after all, we want Cinemoz to be a better place to not only watch videos, but also to find them, too.

With this mission in mind, we’ve updated our homepage to with some content we know you want to see.

First of all: It’s documentary week (أسبوع وثائقي ) on Cinemoz! We have a lot of new ones up, because we’ve noticed Cinemoz viewers love the films that may give them a little more hope for the world.

You will find that our recommended series at the right of the homepage- due to high demand- is  في بيتنا غشنة الجزء الأول . We also have every episode of it, if you don’t like to wait 24 hours to watch Mohammad Al Ajeemi get in into it with Ahmed Al Alyan or Fatme Al Houseini.

Our recommended movie of the week is لعبة الحب (Game of Love) for all of you romantic movie-lovers. This is quite the popular one, and we have a few requests to write a review on it, which we promise is coming soon. 

Last but not least, we mentioned earlier that we have been dropping hints on our Facebook and Twitter as to what’s coming this Ramadan. Have you been following up on that? Make sure you stay connected on our Twitter and Facebook pages so you don’t miss a beat!

As always, we welcome your feedback about anything you see on Cinemoz. You can send suggestions and comments to us at info@cinemoz.com. In the meantime, we have a lot more content and site features lined up, so stay tuned! 

With Ramadan right around the corner, we know many of you are curious about what’s happening in the Arab film and TV show market right now.

What are the most popular shows? What classic Arabic films do people want to watch? Why are there so many Turkish soap operas coming out at once? And how are the regional producers responding to that phenomenon?

We’re working on giving you a few updates and observations as to what’s really standing out in the world of Arabic films on a regular basis – we know the market too well to let our loyal viewers miss out on the hottest Arabic content.

 It’s always been our mission to bring the best premium content to our users when, where, and how they want, but we also like to have fun with it.

Starting today, we are posting clues on our Facebook wall and Twitter stream which will allow fans and users to get a sneak peak at the surprises we have set in store for Cinemoz, as well as hints at our exclusive upcoming releases for the month of Ramadan.   

Expect to see more fresh and groundbreaking content along with new slick functionalities on the website throughout this time. And yes, you get our word for it. 

If you want to get the teasers, all you have to do is look for the clues!

 Enjoy! 

What Makes a Good Film Festival?

Film festivals are some of the most awaited events that movie fans are crazy about. Every year, popular film festivals such as the Cannes or the Berlin Film Festivals are creating a great deal of fuss around them; Cannes is probably the most prestigious of its kind, and which is setting the grounds for some of the most successful independent movies of the current year. 

But what exactly makes for a great film festival? We have some good ones in Beirut, The Beirut International Film Festival, Turkish Film Festival, and Outbox (happening right now) to name a few.

Although Lebanese film festivals are not as popular as they are in Cannes or Berlin, we’ve noticed that the principle “the more, the merrier” seems to best apply in the case of the best film festivals, meaning the more movies are to be previewed and screened, the happier the crowd will get.

Festivals like Outbox don’t put an emphasis on premieres. But we do love to showcase great films that have not been seen widely yet to help build an audience for the film, as that is a large part of what festivals are ultimately about. We love screening short films and independent movies, and these festivals have lots of opportunity to discover emerging filmmakers. 

To us, there is nothing more satisfying then hearing what kind of experience movie fans and film makers have had with a film festival, and then screening their next short or feature length film on our platform.