Who by fire, who by water
Who in the desert, who lost at seas
Who for his bloodlust, who for her dreams
Who by broken promises, who by his own accord

Haunted by the spectres of its pasts, impoverished by scant narration as parched as its landscape, the Gulf holds fantasy, darkness and mysticism close to the crevices of its heart.
Seeking refuge from its attributed meanings and manufactured images, we encounter instead the elements of magic, dreams, mysticism and mystery which have long seduced the shores and hinterlands of the (Arabian) Gulf.

More dreamscape than lineup, in this programme we live inside the bodies of its subjects, possessing them and flirting with their souls. Traveling, spiraling and drowning .. we shall journey behind their eyes.

Through the burdened eyelashes of Bahrain’s racing donkeys we witness a father-and-son bond painted through the director’s own lived tragedy. In Mohammed Hammad’s flight of psychedelic fancy, we’re enchanted to Jeddah on a dizzying journey through a kaleidoscopic declaration of one man’s lovesick worship of cinema and the promise of witchcraft.

As the sun sets over Maitha’s aquatic dreams, we look out to the shores of what was once “The Trucial Coast” seeking to fulfill a simple promise. Darkness befalls us as we swallow grief standing in the tightness of Aljadel’s chest somewhere in Saudi Arabia, we burn at the fire through her eyes. We wade the marshlands for our final port of call, in Chibayish, standing neck deep in the shared silent traumas of the Gulf inflicting Southern Iraq and Kuwait’s ecological and social fabric.

In jarring contradictions, the cadence of dreams rise and fall, scream and whisper; a neverending cacophony.

Who by silence? Who by scream?
Who in the marches? Who at the stake?
Who by distant glory? Who bitten by a snake?
Now, who shall we say is calling?

Programme
 
Bar Saar
dir. Mohammed Jassim, Bahrain, UAE 2023, Documentary Short, 33 min.

‘Do you like donkeys?’ asks Abu Ahmed, referee of Bar Saar, a popular racetrack in Bahrain where donkeys pulling carts and their drivers compete against each other. This documentary explores the life of a small Bahraini community through the eyes of Abu Ahmed and his son, following their journey into the fascinating local pastime of donkey racing.

Yallah Yallah Beenah
dir. Mohammad Hammad, KSA 2023, Experimental Short, 19 min.

As a film and audio junkie who’s home has been converted to a dedicated shrine to cinema revels in the tales of his equipment to a documentary film crew, we find ourselves transported through a wormhole where a gang of pre-teen kids are sent on a psychedelic mission to save humanity all while under the influence of a spell put forth by a coven of witches. Mohammed Hammad writes, directs, produces and music composes as M.F.Hammad in this experimental, short, comedy , horror, musical extravaganza, where all rules are sent out the window in this fun journey through cinematic history and Jeddawi nostalgia.

A Small Dream
dir. Saraa Al Shehhi, UAE 2022, Narrative Short Drama, 15 min.

Maitha, a young woman has a small and seemingly simple dream of swimming in the sea. She encounters various obstacles and struggles to find a balance between fulfilling her dream and her fear of judgment.

Chibayish
dir. Alia Farid, Kuwait 2023, Experimental, Arabic, 15 min.

Alia Farid’s Chibayish examines how nature in southern Iraq has been viewed as both an accomplice and harbourer of political resistance. Filmed at the confluence of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, Chibayish records the artist’s interactions with three young marshland residents: Riad Samir and Jassim and Qassim Mohammed. It includes footage of the children caring for a water buffalo, describing their geography, naming members of the community, and traversing a marsh engulfed by oil infrastructure and industrial waste. Chibayish is part of a larger group of works that Farid has developed since 2018 focused on the impact of extractive industries on southern Iraq and Kuwait’s ecological and social fabric. Like her installation Palm Orchard (2022), Chibayish is an exploration of cultural identity, history, colonialism, and the right to remain.

The Last Dismissal
dir. Jowaher Al Amri, KSA, Narrative Short Drama, 15 min

Aljadel, a grieving Saudi teenager, refuses to participate in a chant with her middle-school choir honoring her deceased best friend. Meanwhile, the power hungry Main Teacher, rejects their permission to chant and decides instead to order the students to participate in an activity to re-enact the shrouding the dead. When Aljedal watches her friend being shrouded, her anger boils over and she rises to action, leading the rest of the girls to do the same.