A film festival this weekend in Des Moines will examine the human condition through films of the Middle East.

“Boundaries: The Holy Land,” will run from Friday through Sunday at the Fleur Cinema and Cafe, 4545 Fleur Drive, Des Moines.

The event features five films made by and about people living in the Middle East, says Betsy Mayfield, event chair and Ames resident.

“We tried to pick films that show all sides of the situation in the Middle East,” Mayfield says.

“However, [the subject matter of the films] is not able to be totally balanced because the situation in the Middle East is not balanced.”

The festival will include more than just movies, Mayfield says. The three-day event will also include discussion panels based on the issues and questions raised by the films.

The weekend will kick off with a showing of “Exodus,” To Preminger’s 1960 film starring Paul Newman. A discussion panel, “How Film Influences Our Perceptions,” will be held during the intermission of the movie. Participants in the panel will include Robert Baum, professor of religious studies, and Liat Weingart, national coordinator of the Tikkun Community, an international peace organization.

The festival’s Saturday theme, “Women’s Perspective,” will focus on the viewpoints of women living in the Holy Land, says Jill Bystydzienski, professor of liberal arts and sciences and discussion panel host.

She says the festival is a good opportunity for exploration of aspects of the Middle East conflict that are sometimes overlooked, such as women.

“It’s misleading to say `perspective’ when in fact there are many perspectives in regard to women in the Middle East,” says Bystydzienski, chairwoman of the ISU women’s studies program. “There’s really so little that we know about the contributions of women in the region – the mainstream media don’t really tell us much about that.”

Saturday’s featured film will be Israeli-American filmmaker Michal Aviad’s “The Women Next Door,” a documentary that examines the role of Israeli and Palestinian women at the time of the Infitada uprising in the late 1980s.

“This is a film that looks at the situation in the Middle East from a variety of viewpoints – women who are experiencing what is happening in the region,” Bystydzienski says.

Sunday’s theme, “Children’s Perspective” will feature three films: “Tale of Three Jewels,” “Promises” and “Adrift in the Heartland.” Mayfield says “Promises” is “as balanced as it can be.

“This documentary follows Jewish and Palestinian children of different social classes between the ages of 12 and 15 through their everyday lives,” Mayfield says. “There is no commentary, no talking by the filmmaker at all. The viewer gets to view the film and judge for themselves.”

Sana Akili, event co-chairwoman, says holding the film festival the week after Sept. 11 is coincidental, but hopes the timing will prove beneficial to turnout.

“It’s important in this time after Sept. 11 that we take the time to examine what’s really going on in the Middle East,” says Akili, lecturer of marketing.

“[The film festival] is the easiest way to learn about the situation – it’s a good way to get the information.”