Critical Syrian Cinema: Roots of Revolution?



   

Event: Critical Syrian Cinema: Roots of Revolution?
Date: 17-Dec-2011
Time: 16.00 - 18.00
Location: Korzo | The Hague

16:00-18:00 Film Program & Discussion:

Films : A Plate of Sardines (DV Cam) en There Are So Many Things... (DV Cam)
Moderator: Petra Stienen
Guests: Nir de Volff, Mohamed Fouad, Haythem Safia, (Gary Feingold?)
Language: English

Program:
  • 16:00 introduction (10 min)
  • 16:10 1e film: A Plate of Sardines (17 min.)
  • 16:30 2e film: There Are So Many Things Still to Say... (50 min)
  • 17:20 discussion (30 a 40 min.)

The two films talk about the disillusion and the confusion of Syrian (and Arab in general) artists and intellectuals after and regarding the Israeli occupation of the Golan and the Israeli –Palestinian conflict. What sort of attitude do they have towards the existence of the state of Israel, as artists, intellectuals and Arabs? The issues we want to address in the discussion are: how do contemporary artists deal with the problematic of the Israeli –Palestinian conflict in their work? How do they seek cooperation? Is it possible to build bridges, as so many artists try to do, if there are so many traumas, sentiments and political pressure working against reconciliation? Is it realistic to try and seek cooperation on an artistic level if the political relations are so polarized?


Synopsis:

A Plate of Sardines –or The First Time I Heard of Israel (Tabaq el-Sardin)

Omar Amiralay |Syria/France |1997 |17’ |Color | English subtitles
“The first time I heard of Israel, I was in Beirut, the conversation was about a plate of sardines. I was six years old, Israel was two”. In the company of filmmaker Mohammad Malas, Omar Amiralay revisits the ruins of the destroyed village of Quneytra.

There Are So Many Things Still To Say… (HunalikaAshiya’ Kathira Kana Yumken an Yatahadath ‘Anha al-Mare’…)

Omar Amiralay |Syria/France |1997 |50’ |Color|English subtitles
A few months before the passing of his friend and close collaborator dramaturge Sa‘adallahWannus, Amiralay listens to his friend's somber and relentless words, a farewell to a generation for whom the Arab-Israeli conflict has been the source of all disillusion.

Come as You Are  (19:30)

Fouad Mohamed (Egypt) &Nir de Volff (Iraq / Netherlands)

The borderline between absurd and normal behavior, images, physical codes and the simple need of two men from the Middle East to relax and withdraw from the politics of the region are the subjects of this piece. The meeting point of the two men is in the Sinai. Though a beautiful and serene place, their mental meeting point is a zone of unrest. However, a micro and macro communication arises between them, shot through with a good dose of black humor. 

As an American Coca Cola commercial stated: "For each weapon sold worldwide... 20,000 people share a Coca -Cola". Is this a joke? Is it pathetic? Or is there actually a bit of truth in it? Come as You Are invites you to see what a fresh Coca-Cola on the beach can do for the Middle Eastern man who drinks it.
Come as You Are is co-produced by Dancing on the Edge and Grand Theatre Groningen.

Bio’s guests:

Mohamed Fouad (Egypt)
Mohamed Fouad is a Cairo-based Egyptian dancer and choreographer. He has created and performed a number of pieces, and has recently established his own group, ‘Ka’af. 

Nir de Volff (Iraq/Netherlands)
Nir de Volff is a Berlin-based dancer and choreographer of Iraqi-Dutch descent, and director of the group Total Brutal. Total Brutal has performed Nir’s work throughout the world.

Haytham Safia is a Utrecht-based Israeli/Palestinian musician and composer. Although he is essentially a classical Arabic musician, his compositions and music are influenced by other musical styles such as Persian, Balkan and jazz. Haytham has released eight CDs.  


Furthermore:

19:00 diner


20:30  film: The Night (al-Leyl)
Mohammad Malas |Syria |1992 |116’ |Color |English subtitles

The Night is set in the village of Quneytra, which borders on the Golan, a key battlefield in the 1967 war between Syria and Israel. Trying to exorcise feelings of shame and humiliation about his father’s death in Palestine during the Great Revolt of 1936, Malas tries to restore his father's history and honor. But tracing the outline of a memory tortured by burning questions finds only bitter answers. The visually stunning film earned several awards, including, The Golden Tanit at the JournéesCinématographiques de Carthage, in Tunisia in 1992, and the Silver Palm at the Valencia Film Festival, Spain, 1993.