Ten Arab Filmmakers: Political Dissent and Social Critique

271 Pages·2015·7.43 MB·English

by  Josef Gugler

Ten Arab
F I L M M A K E R S
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Ten Arab
F I L M M A K E R S
Political Dissent and Social Critique
Edited by
Josef Gugler
Indiana University Press
Bloomington and Indianapolis
This book is a publication of
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© 2015 by Indiana University Press
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-P ublication Data
Ten Arab filmmakers : political dissent and social critique / edited by Josef Gugler.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Includes filmography.
ISBN 978-0-253-01644-7 (cloth : alk. paper) — ISBN 978-0-253-01652-2 (pbk. : alk.
paper) — ISBN 978-0-253-01658-4 (ebook) 1. Motion pictures—Arab countries—
History and criticism. 2. Motion picture producers and directors—Arab countries.
3. Motion pictures—Political aspects—Arab countries. 4. Motion pictures—Social
aspects—Arab countries. I. Gugler, Josef, editor.
PN1993.5.A65T48 2015
791.430917’4927—dc23
2014044165
1 2 3 4 5 20 19 18 17 16 15
To directors who confront new challenges as they pursue just causes.
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I consider myself a filmmaker who must be engaged . . . I’m happy to
speak about the situation in my country, but at the same time I would
point out that I’m not a politician. The responsibilities of someone
who makes a film under these conditions are not the same
as those of a European or North American director.
—Merzak Allouache
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CONTENTS
Preface xi
Note on Transliteration xiii
Introduction: Auteur Directors, Political Dissent, and Cultural Critique 1
Josef Gugler
1. Nabil Maleh: Syria’s Leopard (Syria) 16
Christa Salamandra
2. Jocelyne Saab: A Lifetime Journey in Search of
Freedom and Beauty (Lebanon) 34
Dalia Said Mostafa
3. Michel Khleifi: Filmmaker of Memory (Palestine) 52
Tim Kennedy
4. Elia Suleiman: Narrating Negative Space (Palestine) 76
Refqa Abu-Remaileh
5. Youssef Chahine: Devouring Mimicries or Juggling with
Self and Other (Egypt) 98
Viola Shafik
6. Daoud Abd El-Sayed: Parody and Borderline Existence (Egypt) 122
Viola Shafik
7. Yousry Nasrallah: The Pursuit of Autonomy in the Arab and
European Film Markets (Egypt) 142
Benjamin Geer