Nèdeem Elmahjoub's blog

On 'For Sama' and mainstream filmmaking

"As fledgling postcolonial states committed to the Palestinian issue, the two countries had a just cause and a sound aspiration to prosperous independence. But beyond brute patriarchal force – a force embodied in the stinginess and cruelty of Deeb’s maternal grandfather – they had no way of articulating either. Moral certainty made them impotent, the film implies, and so they ended up hurting their own citizens more than the enemy."

Bab El-Maqam ("Passion") by Mohamed Malas The story of the film takes place in a conservative neighbourhood in Aleppo, Syria, and with the loming 2003 war on Iraq. The murder of the woman in the film was based on a real event that occurred in 2001.  Very good filming and outstanding acting.

Arab Cinema Ahla'm Al-Medina (Dreams of the City) See also Middle Eastern Cinemas

Classical Syrian cinema The film was released in 1972 and based on a story by Haydar Haydar, a prominent Syrian writer and Arab nationalist. The events of the film/story take place in the aftermath of the formal independence of Syria. The film is subtitled in English.

The Night الليل by Mohammad Malas A Syrian drama with French and German subtitles The film events take place between 1936 and 1948

Mohamad Malas, memory and life