9th annual Edition: Memory & Resilience
Thursday, April 18, 2024, at the LaGuardia Performing Arts Center (LPAC)
Friday, April 19, 2024, at Columbia
Location: Little Theater
31-10 Thomson Avenue
E/M Building
Queens, NY 11101
Directions:
Closest trains: 7 at 33rd Street and G, E, F at Court Square. Click here for more info.
Paid parking is available in nearby paid lots.
Please use the entrance on Van Dam Street at the intersection of 47th Avenue. Before entering the theater, please present ID.
10:30-12:30: Short Film Competition
Ayyur/Moon
Zineb Wakrim, Morocco, 2023, 14 min
Moon follows the journey of two moon children, Hasna and Samad, who discover solace and illumination through art and painting amidst darkness. Awarded third prize at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival.
Re-exist
Riadh Larbi, Algeria, 2023, 9 min
A young Kabyle man stumbles upon a bag washed ashore, revealing a cryptic letter and a tantalizing clue. As the weight of responsibility settles on his shoulders, he resolves to embrace this sudden quest, undeterred by the hurdles that lie ahead.
Volubilis
Soukayna Essaidi, Morocco, 2023, 3 min
Offering a new angle on the ancient Roman/Amazigh city of Volubilis, this short film traces its history and captures its ruins as a vibrant city rather than a UNESCO-recognized tourist site.
The Song of Sin
Khalid Maddour, Morocco, 2022, 14 min
Two poets and musicians from the Rif plateau, heirs of an ancestral art, play out much more than a love story. An entire his tory of people.
Bloody Memories
Mourad Bouamrane, Algeria, 2024, 37 min
This historical drama depicts the harrowing experiences of Kabyle mountain dwellers during the Algerian Revolution. Ahmed, a shepherd enlisted in the Liberation Army, confronts a fateful and violent night.
2:00-4:00: Films and Q&A with Guest Speaker Izza Genini
Vibrations in High Atlas
Izza Genini, France/Morocco, 1993, 27 min
In the High Atlas, the journey to Ait Bouguemez valley strips away modernity, immersing man in nature. Water and music are central, shaping life's rituals. Women's songs echo through polyphonies, ululations, and refrains, accompanying every endeavor, embodying the ancient cosmos.
Nuptials in Middle Atlas
Izza Genini, France/Morocco, 1993, 24 min
In the Middle Atlas, gather under the guidance of “Maestro” Moha u Hoceine to honor the legendary union of Asli and Taslit, an Amazigh boy and girl who embody the symbolic powers of sky and land, in a mythical wedding celebration.
4:30-5:30: Algerian Chaoui Dance Workshop
Artist Esra Warda leads participants in a traditional dance originating from the Aures mountains, which symbolizes the Chaoui reverence for nature and agriculture. Free to all. RSVP.
6:00-8:00: Feature screening and Q&A
No Harm Done
Merzak Allouache, Algeria, 2023, 101 min
A murder mystery by a great Algerian director. Juggling her theater career and caring for her quadriplegic son Rachid, Ouardya confronts life's challenges head-on. Amidst her hectic routine, she remains undeterred. However, her world is shaken when her colleagues are inexplicably murdered one by one.
Q&A with Habiba Boumlik, Yahya Laayouni, and Soubeika Wafa Bahri
Location:Columbia University, Middle East Institute 612 Street,
Schermerhorn Hall 1190 Amsterdam, New York, NY 10027
10:00 to 12:00 Films and Q&A with Guest Speaker Izza Genini and professor Madeline Dobie
The Song of Sin
Khalid Maddour, Morocco, 2022, 14 min
Two poets and musicians from the Rif plateau, heirs of an ancestral art, play out much more than a love story. An entire his tory of people.
Aita
Izza Genini, France/Morocco, 1988, 27 min
Led by cheikhate, nomadic musicians, the aïta converts cries into melodies, songs into calls, embodying love and hope through anguish, remembrance, and transcendence. At the Moulay Abdallah Moussem, near Casablanca's southern outskirts, Moroccan diva Fatna Bent El Hocine and her ensemble Oulad Aguida warmly welcome countless passionate riders and dedicated aïta enthusiasts.
The Citron, Fruit of Splendor
Izza Genini, France/Morocco, 1998, 30 min
Deep in the valley of the Moroccan Anti Atlas, the fruit of the citron tree is cultivated by Amazigh farmers, following the rules of perfection demanded by the Divine Law of the Hebrews.
For questions and information, please contact:
Habiba Boumlik at hboumlik@lagcc.cuny.edu & Lucy McNair at lmcnair@lagcc.cuny.edu