Autonomy is a condition that tempts and even taunts those who have not been able to reach it. Each of the films in this program positions a protagonist in the face of oppressive societal norms and seemingly insurmountable obstacles – testing the limits of personal and political agency.

Followed by a film talk with Ward Kayal & Maissa Lihedheb.

FIN 

Ward Kayal, Palestine 2025, 5', No dialogue 

On a stormy night, a man walks through Haifa’s empty streets, trying to light his cigarette in the heavy rain. As the flame fails him again and again, he encounters the unexpected.

Manal Issa, 2024 

Elisabeth Subrin, Lebanon, USA 202, 10', Arabic with English subtitles

This poignant cinematic experiment offers deep-cutting commentary on the role of art and artist in times of relentless genocide. From the perspective of a young actress, Manal Issa, 2024 unfolds as a conversation between equals, a symmetrical power dynamic between filmmaker and her subject who refuses to be filmed.

Love Bites

Mahmoud Zain, Egypt 2024, 12', Arabic with English subtitles

A sister’s dead body lies between her brothers who dispute over her ritual washing, more concerned with scandal than with the truth behind her death. 

A Passing Day 

Rasha Shahin, Syria, France 2024, 23', Arabic with English subtitles

An encounter between a sex worker and a stranger in a city scarred by war revives a fleeting sense of life and humanity. 

Shame

Hadi Moussally Lebanon 2024, 5 ', Arabic with English subtitles

Salma Zahore embodies the different characters in a staged family photo session exposing how the concept of “shame” governs identity and gender roles in Arab culture. 

Samra's Dollhouse

Maissa Lihedheb, Tunisia, Germany, USA 2025, 12 ', Arabic with English subtitles

The recently divorced film director Samra is casting for the role of her new male lead. As she rehearses with her chosen candidate, the border between fiction and reality is intentionally blurred and the young actor begins to suspect his role as the perfect loverboy may not only be limited to Samra’s film. A visually splendid tale of female desire, power structures and personal agency.

Coyotes

Said Zagha, Palestine, Jordan, UK 2025, 20 Min, Arabic with English subtitles

Lubna’s drive home from a long night shift at the hospital turns her world upside down. 

"Coyotes" lays bare the sinuous roads of a dog-eat-dog world in Palestine’s West Bank, where Lubna’s simple journey home is up against an entire surveillance police state. Starring Maria Zreik, Ali Suleiman, as well as a brief appearance by Yumna Marwan.