We often get stuck in a rhythm, a pattern of movement that keep us in one place, tending to one situation, sometimes far longer than we intend. Whether (im)mobilized by convention or war or occupation, creatures desire movement and change: a push beyond the status quo, a changing of the guard, a revolutionary burst of energy to incite something different and new. In this series of short films, each film uses sound an image to explore the place between life and death, memory and forgetting, war and peace, and stagnation and movement.
An experimental documentary revisiting memories of the Lebanese civil war through the filmmakers' personal archives of audio cassette letters exchanged between her and her friends during the 1980s. These tapes––filled with personal anecdotes and favorite pop songs––offer glimpses into the lives of adolescents affected by war. Combined with family testimonies, found footage, scenes from present-day Lebanon, and dream-like sequences, this film journeys into collective and personal memories of a troubled past that still inhabits the present.
Festivals and awards
Warden's Prize, Goldsmiths University of London, United Kingdom, 2019
About the filmmaker
Ginou Choueiri is a interdisciplinary artist working across mediums: painting, performance, installation, and moving image. Looking at notions of identity, longing, and belonging, she explores her personal narrative and its position within a collective history. She completed an MA in Artist Film and Moving Image at Goldsmiths University in London in 2019 and graduated with high distinction. While there, she won the prestigious Warden's prize for her documentary Rhythm of Forgetting, which also screened in various international festivals such as DocLisboa and Beirut Women’s International Film Festival, where she won the jury prize for Best Director. Her work has been exhibited internationally at the Contemporary Art Center of Barcelona (Spain), Merz Foundation (Italy), and Williamsburg Art Center (USA). She is ArteEast’s film programs curator, where she has collaborated and co-curated the Arab Film Fest Collab (2020) and the monthly Arab Film Series online. She also programs for ArteEast’s "Unpacking the ArteArchive" platform, which combines selections of works from ArteEast’s film archive in dialogue with contemporary voices. Choueiri is currently based between Beirut and New York.
- Year2020
- Runtime25 minutes
- LanguageArabic
- CountryLebanon, United Kingdom
- DirectorGinou Choueiri
We often get stuck in a rhythm, a pattern of movement that keep us in one place, tending to one situation, sometimes far longer than we intend. Whether (im)mobilized by convention or war or occupation, creatures desire movement and change: a push beyond the status quo, a changing of the guard, a revolutionary burst of energy to incite something different and new. In this series of short films, each film uses sound an image to explore the place between life and death, memory and forgetting, war and peace, and stagnation and movement.
An experimental documentary revisiting memories of the Lebanese civil war through the filmmakers' personal archives of audio cassette letters exchanged between her and her friends during the 1980s. These tapes––filled with personal anecdotes and favorite pop songs––offer glimpses into the lives of adolescents affected by war. Combined with family testimonies, found footage, scenes from present-day Lebanon, and dream-like sequences, this film journeys into collective and personal memories of a troubled past that still inhabits the present.
Festivals and awards
Warden's Prize, Goldsmiths University of London, United Kingdom, 2019
About the filmmaker
Ginou Choueiri is a interdisciplinary artist working across mediums: painting, performance, installation, and moving image. Looking at notions of identity, longing, and belonging, she explores her personal narrative and its position within a collective history. She completed an MA in Artist Film and Moving Image at Goldsmiths University in London in 2019 and graduated with high distinction. While there, she won the prestigious Warden's prize for her documentary Rhythm of Forgetting, which also screened in various international festivals such as DocLisboa and Beirut Women’s International Film Festival, where she won the jury prize for Best Director. Her work has been exhibited internationally at the Contemporary Art Center of Barcelona (Spain), Merz Foundation (Italy), and Williamsburg Art Center (USA). She is ArteEast’s film programs curator, where she has collaborated and co-curated the Arab Film Fest Collab (2020) and the monthly Arab Film Series online. She also programs for ArteEast’s "Unpacking the ArteArchive" platform, which combines selections of works from ArteEast’s film archive in dialogue with contemporary voices. Choueiri is currently based between Beirut and New York.
- Year2020
- Runtime25 minutes
- LanguageArabic
- CountryLebanon, United Kingdom
- DirectorGinou Choueiri