The basis for this film is the concept of the “Eternal Return,” or ouroboros, the symbol of the snake eating its tail. Moving towards forgetting the past, we follow a single character through five locations: the Gaza Strip in Occupied Palestine, Los Angeles and the Mojave Desert in the United States, Matera and Martina Franca in Italy, and a castle in Brittany, France. Ouroboros takes the viewer on a lyrical journey through time and space, weaving ruins into reconstruction and pastoral landscape into 13th-century architecture. Framed as an homage to the Gaza Strip, the film cites this as a place where civilization has begun to end and where a new beginning emerges, for better or worse. The first feature by experimental filmmaker and artist Basma Alsharif, the film tackles questions of community, landscape, and the failures of civilization.
Screening with short film:
Unspoken
Unspoken tells the story of Farah Chamma who became an online sensation at age 17 when her spoken-word poetry went viral. A well-known poet today, Chamma finds her writing at odds with the world in which she lives. This film shows her inner conflict, as the young poet struggles against self-censorship and authenticity.
Director: Samia Badih | Documentary | Runtime: 10 mins | 2017 | Country: UAE | Language: Arabic, English Subtitles | Minnesota Premiere
Sponsors
TWIN CITIES ARAB FILM FESTIVAL
Mizna presents the thirteenth Twin Cities Arab Film Festival in partnership with the Film Society of Minneapolis St. Paul. The Arab Film Fest showcases modern Arab cinema, featuring debut screenings of independent narrative, documentary, and experimental features and shorts.