Destiny

A group of men in historical Middle Eastern clothing gather inside an ornate interior with carved architectural details. Several men face a figure in the foreground whose back is toward the viewer.

Directed by renowned Egyptian filmmaker Youssef Chahine, Destiny centers on the 12th-century Islamic philosopher Ibn Rushd, more commonly known in the West as Averroës. In the Arab-ruled province of Andalusia (Spain), Averroës works to promote values of freedom, literacy, and open inquiry against an extremist sect determine to suppress the ideals he embodies.

Featuring dynamic battle scenes, rousing philosophical discourses and musical numbers, and stunning medieval architecture, Destiny is an action-packed, genre-bending historical epic that carries a contemporary message about the excesses of religious fundamentalism—and envisioned by its director as an urgent response to an unprecedented wave of Islamic terrorism in Egypt in the 1990s.

Free admission! Sponsored by the Department of Near Eastern Studies.

The film screens in a 35mm print courtesy of Leisure Time Features.

In Arabic with English subtitles. Part of our "Near Eastern Studies" film series. Courtesy: Leisure Time Features