Out of the Shadows

The aim of this publication is to address this obscurity and revitalize the work of four filmmakers whose films remain overlooked and underscreened: Atteyat Al-Abnoudy, Assia Djebar, Jocelyne Saab and Heiny Srour. Coming from different backgrounds and regions, these filmmakers all started to produce films in the 1970s, at a moment of great political and cultural ferment. Often working against the grain, they set out to attend to voices and stories that were at risk of being drowned out by official History. While each of these filmmakers developed different approaches, their works explore shared themes such as memory and identity, oppression and liberation, violence and exclusion, and the social and political role of women in Arab societies and histories.

Compiled by Courtisane and Sabzian on the occasion of the Out of the Shadows programme, originally conceived for Courtisane festival 2020 but rescheduled to Courtisane festival 2021.

This program and publication was developed with the support of The Arab Fund for Arts and Culture (AFAC), CINEMATEK and KASK / School of Arts, in collaboration with Reem Shilleh and Mohanad Yaqubi (Subversive Film)