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RESOUNDING LANDSCAPES, curated by Nour Helou, brings together short films by Arab filmmakers who center songs in their cinematic offerings.
In our songs were ready for all wars to come, Noor Abed investigates the critical and representational potential of Palestinian historical communal folktales and songs to rewrite reality as we know it; in A Song to My Brothers, Sirine Fattouh stages six women to subvert Lebanon’s national anthem—striking back at patriarchal and nationalist authority; in Hussein Nassereddine's A King Made of Nothing, voices and images are collected across generations to reflect on mortality and poetic memory of Arab singers; and in Capital, Basma al-Sharif critiques the rise of architectural neo-colonial violence in Egypt via a re and mis - translation of a French song.
Capital by Basma al-Sharif
Synopsis:
A Ventriloquist walks into a bar and orders a stiff drink.
The Bartender asks: will that be all?
The Dummy answers: Does it look like I can speak with this hand up my ass?
As Egypt syncs further into poverty and is overwhelmed by debt, new cities are being erected across the country and prisons fill with dissenting opinions. But who are these cities for and what desire or ambivalence do they inspire -- and at what cost. Since it is currently not possible to safely speak about this: a ventriloquist, songs, and advertisements describe a seemingly bygone era of fascism. Referencing Telefoni Bianchi films, a precursor to propaganda cinema under Mussolini, the legacy of building new capitals provides the material to express opinions and hope, through satire.
About the Filmmaker:
Palestinian artist/filmmaker Basma al-Sharif explores cyclical political histories and conflicts. In films and installations that move backward and forward in history, between place and non-place, she confronts the legacy of colonialism through satirical, immersive, and lyrical works.
She received an MFA from the University of Illinois at Chicago in 2007, was a resident of the Fondazione Antonio Ratti in 2009, the Pavillon Neuflize OBC at the Palais de Tokyo in 2014-15. She received a Jury prize at the Sharjah Biennial in 2009, was awarded a Visual Arts of the Fundación Botín in 2010, Mophradat’s Consortium Commissions in 2018, she was a fellow of the Berlin Artistic Research Grant Programme for 2022-2023 and was nominated for the Prix Aware for 2024.
Al-Sharif’s Major exhibitions include: Pompidou Metz, De Appel, the Ruttenberg Contemporary Photography Series for the Museum of the Art Institute of Chicago, Modern Mondays at MOMA, CCA Glasgow, SALT Galata, the Whitney Biennial, Here and Elsewhere at the New Museum, Berlin Documentary Forum, and Manifesta 8. Her films have screened in the international film festivals of Locarno, Berlin, Mar del Plata, Milan, London, Toronto, New York, Montreal, and Yamagata amongst others. Basma is based in Berlin and represented by Galerie Imane Farés in Paris.
- Year2023
- Runtime17:05
- LanguageArabic, Italian, French
- CountryEgypt, Italy, Germany
- DirectorBasma al-Sharif
- ScreenwriterBasma al-Sharif
- ProducerEyal Vexler (Berlin), Camilla Romeo (Milan)
- FilmmakerBasma al-Sharif
- CastDiego Marcon, Francesca Tasini, Bruno Besana
- CinematographerSimon Veroneg (Berlin), Davide Artusi (Milan)
- EditorBasma al-Sharif
- Sound DesignFederico Chiari
- MusicNino Ferrer, Le Sud
RESOUNDING LANDSCAPES, curated by Nour Helou, brings together short films by Arab filmmakers who center songs in their cinematic offerings.
In our songs were ready for all wars to come, Noor Abed investigates the critical and representational potential of Palestinian historical communal folktales and songs to rewrite reality as we know it; in A Song to My Brothers, Sirine Fattouh stages six women to subvert Lebanon’s national anthem—striking back at patriarchal and nationalist authority; in Hussein Nassereddine's A King Made of Nothing, voices and images are collected across generations to reflect on mortality and poetic memory of Arab singers; and in Capital, Basma al-Sharif critiques the rise of architectural neo-colonial violence in Egypt via a re and mis - translation of a French song.
Capital by Basma al-Sharif
Synopsis:
A Ventriloquist walks into a bar and orders a stiff drink.
The Bartender asks: will that be all?
The Dummy answers: Does it look like I can speak with this hand up my ass?
As Egypt syncs further into poverty and is overwhelmed by debt, new cities are being erected across the country and prisons fill with dissenting opinions. But who are these cities for and what desire or ambivalence do they inspire -- and at what cost. Since it is currently not possible to safely speak about this: a ventriloquist, songs, and advertisements describe a seemingly bygone era of fascism. Referencing Telefoni Bianchi films, a precursor to propaganda cinema under Mussolini, the legacy of building new capitals provides the material to express opinions and hope, through satire.
About the Filmmaker:
Palestinian artist/filmmaker Basma al-Sharif explores cyclical political histories and conflicts. In films and installations that move backward and forward in history, between place and non-place, she confronts the legacy of colonialism through satirical, immersive, and lyrical works.
She received an MFA from the University of Illinois at Chicago in 2007, was a resident of the Fondazione Antonio Ratti in 2009, the Pavillon Neuflize OBC at the Palais de Tokyo in 2014-15. She received a Jury prize at the Sharjah Biennial in 2009, was awarded a Visual Arts of the Fundación Botín in 2010, Mophradat’s Consortium Commissions in 2018, she was a fellow of the Berlin Artistic Research Grant Programme for 2022-2023 and was nominated for the Prix Aware for 2024.
Al-Sharif’s Major exhibitions include: Pompidou Metz, De Appel, the Ruttenberg Contemporary Photography Series for the Museum of the Art Institute of Chicago, Modern Mondays at MOMA, CCA Glasgow, SALT Galata, the Whitney Biennial, Here and Elsewhere at the New Museum, Berlin Documentary Forum, and Manifesta 8. Her films have screened in the international film festivals of Locarno, Berlin, Mar del Plata, Milan, London, Toronto, New York, Montreal, and Yamagata amongst others. Basma is based in Berlin and represented by Galerie Imane Farés in Paris.
- Year2023
- Runtime17:05
- LanguageArabic, Italian, French
- CountryEgypt, Italy, Germany
- DirectorBasma al-Sharif
- ScreenwriterBasma al-Sharif
- ProducerEyal Vexler (Berlin), Camilla Romeo (Milan)
- FilmmakerBasma al-Sharif
- CastDiego Marcon, Francesca Tasini, Bruno Besana
- CinematographerSimon Veroneg (Berlin), Davide Artusi (Milan)
- EditorBasma al-Sharif
- Sound DesignFederico Chiari
- MusicNino Ferrer, Le Sud