Five short Bidayyat productions, Arabic, Eng. ST
Guest: Mohammad Ali Atassi
Moderator: Najat Abdulhaq
Discussant: Christin Lüttich
Bidayyat has dedicated itself to the promotion of Arab talent and cinematic stories from Syria. The short films presented in this program vary between documentary, animation, fiction and experimental. They have all been produced after the outbreak of the Syrian war and directed by young Syrian, Palestinian and Lebanese filmmakers. Their common denominator is the objective to dismantle recurrent stereotypes particularly on Syria and modes of perception related to them.
Carte Blanche for Mohammad Ali Atassi / Bidayyat
Screening of five short Bidayyat productions: Yaman, The Boy and the Sea, Now: End of Season, 9 ½, Blue
Werkstatt der Kulturen, Wissmannstraße 32, 12049 Berlin
Yaman
Yaman is a young inventor who has invented an incredible machine that helps him to survive.
The Boy and the Sea
The story did not begin with the worldwide TV disseminated image of the Syrian child Elan, thrown on the Turkish shores by the waves, and it definitely did not end with it.
Now: End of Season
Garage Izmir is on the middle of the long migratory journey that thousands of Syrian refugees take on their way to the sea route to Europe. Will this journey be delayed once more?
9 ½
9½, that’s the age of Maha, a Syrian girl and the only survivor of her family. Left on her own, with a picture of her family she embarks on a visual journey.
Blue
I've had a recurring dream since I fled the Yarmouk Refugee Camp and came to Beirut. The dream takes me back to besieged Yarmouk, where death and destruction have found a way to settle in all its details.
Mohammad Ali Atassi is a journalist, producer, and documentary filmmaker. He graduated in civil engineering in Damascus and in history at Sorbonne Paris 4. Since 2000, he has been writing for several Arab and international newspapers on political and cultural topics. Since 2001, he directed two short documentary films and two feature documentaries and produced several short and documentary films. His films have been shown in numerous festivals worldwide and have gained several awards. He is the founder and the director of Bidayyat for Audio-Visual Arts in Beirut.