ELIA SULEIMAN SHORT FILMS
Palestine/France
Introduction to the End of an Argument (1990, 45mins)This highly kinetic tableau of uprooted sights and sounds works earnestly to expose the racial biases concealed in familiar images. Relying on valuable snippets from feature films such as Exodus, Lawrence of Arabia, Black Sunday and Little Drummer Girl, and network news shows, the film constructeds an oddly wry narrative, mimicking the history of Middle East politics.
Homage by Assassination (1992, 28mins) E.S is a Palestinian who is writing a film script in New York during the Gulf War, growing increasingly disconnected as he shuts himself off from the exterior world. In a claustrophobic environment, E.S attempts to capture, define and take control of his fractured reality.
Cyber Palestine (2000, 16mins) A transposition of the traditional story of the journey of Joseph and Mary, heavy with child, as they head for Bethlehem. Set in contemporary Palestine, Suleiman's provocative images of the intifada and life under occupation make it a powerful metaphor of displacement.
The Arab Dream (1998, 30mins) Filmed in Jerusalem, Nazareth and Ramallah, The Arab Dream tells of a filmmaker meditating on his struggle to safeguard an aesthetic vision in a place where hope is diminishing.
L Arabic, English, Hebrew w/English subtitles TD Video/Col/119mins