The question ‘what does resistance look like?’ can have many answers, but the answer is undoubtedly shaped by images and examples of the past. In this event filmmakers and activists Yara Yuri Safadi, Laleh Al Marjani and Zehra Eekhout reflect on their image of resistance and how this shapes their activism today. To guide the discussion, we will watch two documentary films about resistance in the context of Lebanon and Palestine: ‘Children of Shatila’ (1998) by Mai Masri and ‘Burst Out’ (2023) by Zehra Eekhout. Hopefully this night can refuel our (image of) resistance.
The panel session will be moderated by Tania Shoukair.
At the event there will be a QR code for donations that go to grassroots initiatives for Shatila refugee camp in Beirut.
Bron: Children of Shatila (1998)
Mai Masri
Farah and Issa, two streetwise children living in Beirut’s Palestinian Shatila refugee camp, use their imaginations and creativity to come to terms with the realities of growing up in a refugee camp that has survived massacre, siege, and starvation.
Zehra Eekhout
Burst Out (2023) by Zehra Eekhout
After the heyday of the 17 October uprising in Lebanon in 2019, three Lebanese artists enter the Egg, an abandoned brutalist building in downtown Beirut. Lebanese people occupied the space during the 17 October uprising in 2019 within months of protests against Lebanon’s economic and political circumstances. In their own artistic rendering, the three artists seek to interpret their memories towards the events that happened inside the Egg during the time of the protests.
About the speakers
Yara Yuri Safadi is a film producer and curator, activist and community organizer who has been heavily involved in mobilizing for Palestine in Amsterdam, particularly within cultural sectors.
Laleh Almarjani is a filmmaker, poet and social media activist. He made numerous videos that helped in legal cases against police violence or unlawful accusations in protests for Palestine. Laleh also organizes actions, and creates chants, poetry, and spoken word to use art as a form of activism for Palestine. Instagram: @lalehamirali
Zehra Eekhout is a Dutch filmmaker, activist, DJ, radio-maker and Sociology teacher at Utrecht University. In her documentary Burst Out she explores fluidities in East-West divisions and artistic forms of resistance together with Lebanese and Dutch creatives. Instagram: @zehracecilia. E-mail: [email protected]
Moderator: Tania Shoukair is a writer, poet, community organizer, facilitator, and moderator. She is the co-founder of Kayan: a collective focused on exploring third culture, connection, and belonging, and Rest Resist: a community focused on fighting collective exhaustion, overwhelm, and separation. Instagram: tania__shoukair
