Igniting A Dialogue On South-West Asian Cinema
Curated by Roisin Tapponi, the film programme titled Domain: To Those Who Remain brings narratives from the South West Asia and North Africa (SWANA) region to Singapore.
Cinephiles rejoice – after two years of pandemic-induced hiatus, Singapore’s longest-standing film event Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF) is back in full bloom with its 33rd edition. Happening now till Dec4, the festival comprises over 100 works from 57 countries on the diverse line-up.
This year’s guest curator, Roison Tapponi, works at the forefront of cinema, with a focus on South-West Asia and North Africa (SWANA) narratives. The 23 year old Irish-Iraqi film curator founded her own independent streaming service Shasha Movies, the first-ever platform that puts its focus on cinema in the SWANA region. On top of that, she started Independent Iraqi Film Festival – which puts the celebration of Iraqi films at the core of its programmes – in 2021.
Specially for SGIFF, Tapponi has put together a film programme titled Domain: To Those Who Remain. Each of the films in the programme, according to her, “uses the subject of land as a starting point to think about these connections, and build on the historical legacy of moments when those connections have been made”. Aimed at reflecting contemporary narratives from the region, the programme includes films from Morocco, Sudan, Syria and beyond.
Below, FEMALE lists some of the must-watch films from this important and expansive segment of the festival.
RETURN TO OULAD MOUMEN
Legendary Moroccan filmmaker Izza Genini’s Return To Oulad Moumen is an early example of the power of diasporic filmmaking. The film powerfully displays Genini’s large and characterful family separated in the diaspora as well as their complex emotions towards their homeland.
THE DAM
Lebanese artist Ali Cherri’s debut feature film The Dam depicts Maher, a bricklayer who chances upon an unknown being made of mud. Full of symbology and metaphors for the Sudanese identity, this film masterfully morphs the lived experience within the Nile’s geopolitical landscape into a compelling narrative.
FORAGERS
Filmmaker Jumana Manna’s film Foragers shows the extent of Israel’s occupation of Palestine – by documenting the eradication of an age-old Palestinian foraging practice under the guise of law. The film depicts the joy and knowledge embedded in this custom and discusses this act of omitting not just the ownership of land, but an entire culture.