The Marshes, dir. Kassem Hawaii, Iraq 1976, 43 min.

Kassem Hawal is known for political filmmaking. Achingly beautiful, The Marshes (Al Ahwar) documents the marsh people of southern Iraq in the 1970s at a time when they were dependent on reed exports for papermaking. In the 1980s, when rebels hid in the reeds, the government diverted waterflow as punishment, draining the marsh lifeblood. Today, the marshes verge on environmental collapse as upstream dams occlude waterflow and global warming intensifies drought. 

 
Ma’loul Celebrates Its Destruction, dir. Michel Khleifi, Palestine / Belgium 1984, 30 min.

Former inhabitants tell their stories while preparing for an annual community picnic on the site of their destroyed village. Except for the ruins of two churches and a mosque, Ma’loul was completely erased from the map in 1948. Testimonies of elders and a detailed painting of the village keep Ma’loul alive. This is the second film by Michel Khleifi, considered the founder of contemporary Palestinian cinema. 

Ticket includes entry to the exhibition that day.