Wed 14 December
Dancing on the Edge: Critical Syrian Cinema: Roots of Revolution?
In collaboration with Beeld voor Beeld (The Netherlands), ProAction Film (Syria), and ArteEast (USA), Dancing on the Edge presents a film program on Syrian cinema in De Unie.
Long before the uprisings in Syria that started this year, critical voices from the art world were already speaking out against the policies of the ruling Baath regime. In this program there will be a focus on critical voices of Syrian cinema that preceded and possibly influenced the revolt in 2011.
Syrian films are often described as Arab cinema’s “best kept secret”, and the program provides an opportunity for audiences to discover a politically timely and relevant overview of it. Ranging from nonfiction films and comedies to political dramas and historical epics, this selection is representative of one of the richest –although lesser-known- world cinema industries.
The films of Omar Amiralay will be shown in De Unie. Amiralay’s new approach to documentary filmmaking gradually became recognized in the Arab world and Europe. His films earned a number of awards worldwide and his cinema has become an example for generations of documentary filmmakers in the Arab world. Amiralay was also a driving force in the establishment of the Arab Film Institute (2005-2008), a novel venture in the Arab world. The master documentary filmmaker Amiralay died in in February 2011. He was a close friend and collaborator with fellow Syrian filmmakers, including Mohammad Malas and Ossama Mohammed. The film screenings are combined with introductions, after talks and debates with filmmakers and experts on Syrian cinema.
Time: 16:00 - 18:30 Film-Essay on the Euphrates Dam (Film-Muhawalah ‘An Sadd al-Furat) Omar Amiralay |Syria | 1970|12’| B&W| No dialogue
A Flood in Baath Country (Tufan fi Balad el-Ba‘th) Omar Amiralay |Syria/France |2003 |46’ |Color| English subtitles
Time: 20:00 - 22:00 Everyday Life in a Syrian Village (al-Hayat al-Yaomiyyah fi Qaryah Suriyyah) Omar Amiralay|Syria |1974 |85’|B&W |English subtitles
Tickets: €5 / day-ticket: €7,50 More information: www.deunie.nu
