15 - 30

NOV 2019

THE BARBICAN | CURZON SOHO | INSTITUTE OF CONTEMPORARY ARTS | THE RIO l THE TABERNACLE | SOAS | P21

FAMILY AFFAIRS: DRAMA SHORTS FROM PALESTINE AND ITS DIASPORA

Give Up the Ghost l Him and I l Rupture l Saja, Black Suits You l Strange Cities Are Familiar l The Crossing

Saturday 16th November | 4:00pm
INSTITUTE OF CONTEMPORARY ARTS, THE MALL, ST JAMES’, SW1Y 5AH

From the point of deciding to make a family till the need to protect them, family is the pillar of our lives and communities. Social stigmas, distant wars, and unconditional familial love shows the importance of kinship in our current lives. ‘Family Affairs’ brings us 6 short films about distance, loss and lineage by Palestinian makers within and outside of the country.

Give Up the Ghost
2019 l Zain Duraie l 15’
Salam and Ammar’s dream of becoming parents shatters when they find out that they are unable to conceive. A lifetime of convictions and social stigmas push them towards making choices that would change their paths entirely. Starring Palestine’s most stellar performers, Give Up the Ghost is a short film by emerging director, Zain Duraie.

Him and I
2018 l Ibrahim Handal l 13’
A young woman in her mid-thirties lives an ordinary life between her work and home. She lives her daily life for two, from the coffee in the morning to her evening tea. But reality is more cruel than the fantasy in her mind. This is a profound piece that draws on the subtleties of the quotidian by first time filmmaker Ibrahim Handal.

Rupture
2017 l Yassmina Karajeh l 15’
A cast of young non-actors perform their personal experiences of loss and new beginnings. After leaving the war in Syria, they walk around their new city in Canada attempting to learn English and live normal lives. But soon they realise that the violence they escaped back home can never be far enough away. In this intelligent short film, director Yassmina Karajah allows these young people to re-enact scenarios of their own lived experience.

Saja, Black Suits You
2017 l Ahmad Alkhalil l 13’
Saja is struggling to overcome her husband’s death. But her physical and psychological need for a man ignite all kinds of fantasies in her mind. As a 30 year old teacher she is trying to maintain normality for herself and her daughter, but these fantasies start to interfere in her relationship with her coworker Kamal. This short film is directed by new-coming director of theatre, dance, documentary, and now, short film, Ahmad AlKhalil.

Strange Cities Are Familiar
2018 l Saeed Taji Farouky l 21’
Strange Cities Are Familiar is a film about memories, guilt and resilience, inspired by the writing of Mourid Barghouti, and the director's personal experiences. It tells the story of Ashraf, a Palestinian father living in the UK, struggling to confront the memories that haunt him, the promises he couldn’t keep, the family he couldn’t protect. Written and directed by journalist and filmmaker Saeed Taji Farouky, it stars helmer of Palestinian cinema, Mohammad Bakri.

The Crossing
2017 l Ameen Nayfeh l 15’
Shady and his sister, Maryam, are excited to finally be able to visit their sick grandfather on the other side of the wall. Their elder brother Mohammed arrives with their permit to cross and they are ready to go. But when they arrive at the checkpoint, having a permit is not enough to let them pass. This short film by Ameen Nayfeh communicates the frustrations of immobility experienced by families separated by the wall.