Trauma, body, and geography constitute intricate and intertwined concepts with which contemporary humanity grapples for a modicum of security. In five short films directed by women, exploring the geographies of Iran, Turkey, Palestine, Lebanon, we witness displaced and homeless individuals who feel insecure in their geography, home, and society, carrying historical traumas within a hierarchical regional and global power structure. In a sense, their bodies serve as continuations of the memories of their ancestors and their geography and land. It’s a kind of historical geographical turmoil and disorientation that now shapes us. In these five short films, we encounter vivid imagery and creative narratives spoken by the young women of these regions.
Mania Akbari
A Long Walk
Original Title: Piyaadehravi-ye Toolani | Director: Sonia Sanjari | Iran | 2023 | 15 Minutes
Content Warning: Blood and gore
After losing Saeed on their trip to see fireflies, Mona feels and sees things she couldn’t before.
Cast: Masoumeh Beigi, Javid Ghaem Maghami, Milad Changi
Writer: Sonia Sanjari, Siavash Farhadi | Producer: Emad Khodabakhsh | Director of Photography: Masoud Amini Tirani | Editor: Pooyan Sholevar | Music: Pouya Norouzi
Canary In A Coal Mine
Director: Dwan Kaoukji | Lebanon | 2023 | 20 Minutes | UK Premiere
While guarding his aunt’s house in a remote Lebanese village one night, Anis is forced to pretend he is a thief to save his life from a break-in.
Cast: Joseph Akiki, Ahmad Ghossein, Fadi Abi Samra
Writer: Dwan Kaoukji | Producer: Dwan Kaoukji | Director of Photography: Pol Seif | Editor: Simon Habre
This Is Not A Place For You
Original Title: Burası Size Göre Değil | Director: Ceyda Aşar | Turkey | 2023 | 15 Minutes | UK Premiere
A young woman living in a big city, searches for a flat that suits her needs. While searching with a realtor, she feels unexplainable boredom but as her distress rises, she begins to follow her instincts. Something strange begins to evolve in her body and soul.
Cast: Şebnem Hassanisoughi, Deniz Karaooglu
Writer: Ceyda Aşar | Producer: Ceyda Aşar | Director of Photography: Serkan Gülgüler | Editor: Doruk Kaya, Günce Durmaz | Music: Mevlüt Ünal
The Battle of Empty Stomachs
Original Title: معركة الأمعاء الخاوية | Director: Diana Al-Halabi | The Netherlands | 2024 | 23 Minutes | International Premiere
Based on research and interviews with both Palestinian hunger strikers and asylum seekers, this absurdist yet realist film stages a dialogue between the director and her mother tongue that centres on a single question: what do we know about hunger?
Cast: Fernando Troya, Mustafa Kur, Sophia Haid, Annemarijn Bulsnik
Writer: Diana Al-Halabi | Producer: Diana Al-Halabi, Yara Yuri Safadi, Albert Kuhn | Director of Photography: Pauline Maroun | Editor: Diana Al-Halabi | Music: Farah Kaddour, Salwa Jaradat
21 Weeks
Original Title: 21 Hafteh Baad | Director: Nasrin Mohammadpour | Iran | 2023 | 13 Minutes | UK Premiere
A young woman decides to have an abortion in pursuit of her women’s rights regarding the right time for pregnancy. While her husband disagrees and threatens her, she has made her decision and illegally aborts her foetus after twenty-one weeks of pregnancy.
Cast: Banafsheh Riazi, Leila Riazi, Parisa Asgai, Soudabeh Bahramnejad
Writer: Nasrin Mohammadpour | Producer: Nasrin Mohammadpour | Director of Photography: Behrouz Badrouj | Editor: Emad Khodabakhsh | Music: Serajodin Rouhanifar
