For a week I delved into the ARAB WORLD. At my first stop in north-west MOROCCO, I met Halim, a tailor, and his wife Mina, who run a traditional caftan shop. I was immediately struck by the art of sewing and embroidery with which Halim, probably one of the last of his guild, decorated Moroccan caftans with fine, precise stitches and a patient muse. Almost more impressive was the couple themselves, who, together and in deep union, bore the secret of Halim’s shame. Halim fell in love with his new apprentice, Youssef, and Mina warmly welcomed him as a new member of the family. It was the dignity and love that touched me deeply, and I would have loved to stay forever in this beautiful Medina, and this fulfilled trinity. But I was drawn to the sea. In TANGIER, on the Mediterranean coast, the naked reality caught up with me. I met young Selim, who had just discovered his homosexuality and had fallen into a trap like that of his mother, who, after being raped and giving birth to him, had to finance their life through sex work. In the eternal struggle for a better life, they could only go their separate ways in the end. I left Morocco and went to TUNISIA. Here I was moved by the struggle for survival of Ali, who was desperately trying to save the family home for his two sisters after the death of their father. The resulting tragic twist made me freeze and I decided to travel back in time to 16th Century ALGERIA. Suddenly I was surrounded by bloodthirsty masculinity in monumental settings and feminine cleverness and finesse in magnificently decorated gardens. Queen Zaphira, a radiant beauty, held her own brilliantly in a world of war dominated by men. When her only way out was also suicide, I decided to return to present-day GALILEE to witness the effects of dispossession and displacement on young Palestinians. Enchanted by the sensitive empathy with which young Tamer dealt with his own dilemma, I set off for my last stop. In BEIRUT, Ziko had just been released from prison and was stoically trying to reclaim his old life while navigating his new one. In doing so, he often made bad choices that made life difficult not only for himself. The crowning finale of my trip was a moderated conversation with the PALESTINIAN actor Saleh Bakri, a soul of a man who touched me deeply.
This was my 14th ALFILM – Arab Film Festival Berlin, and the films were THE BLUE CAFTAN, THE DAMNED DON’T CRY, HARKA, THE LAST QUEEN, ALAM, BEIRUT HOLD’EM and finally the Masterclass with Saleh Bakri.
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