The 5th edition of the Amman International Film Festival’s took the motto “our stories, our narratives”. This is motto speaks not only about the programme’s content and the country of origin of most films presented to the audience, but it is a poignant claim that makes the Jordanian film gathering part of a global conversation about owning narratives and asking: “who can tell the story?” It is usually the non-fiction community that reflects about this, since documentary filmmakers are the ones to turn their camera on people who tell their lives and stories as conceived by themselves rather than in the mind of a scriptwriter. Taking one’s story into one’s hands, in front of one’s own camera, is an act of emancipation and freedom, and sometimes forms the glue that holds together pieces of psyche and soul. The American psychologist Jerome Brunner stated that “literature, in this spirit, is an instrument of freedom, lightness, imagination, and yes, reason. It is our only hope against the long gray night”. The same thing can be said and should be said about cinema.
There are many ways of expressing one’s own story artistically, but is seems that in the Arab Documentary Competition of AIFF the form of an essay or docu-diary (documentary and diary) prevailed. It is effective artistically, as the autobiographical material is within grasp. Since it may also be relatively unexpensive, no pilgrimage from one public fund to another is necessary, and neither are changes to the script or concept. Hyphen directed by Reine Razzouk from Lebanon, and Places of the Soul helmed by Hamida Issa from Qatar vied for awards – including a nod from FIPRESCI – and each on their own term and in the own right fulfil the festival’s motto “our stories, our narratives”. Razzouk has documented over several years the life of her cousin and friend, Nicole, who was struggling to fit into the conservative norms of Lebanese society. Fighting against substance abuse and for her right to self-expression, as well as freedom to express her sexuality, Nicole is one of these amazing, courageous characters that have complicated path and who obtain a little more agency at a great cost. Razzouk shows the tough fate of women in Lebanon – or maybe women everywhere – who do not fit in the mould. The protagonist and the subject-matter are delicate; in the wrong hands, the material could cause more harm than good. The fact that the director also narrates the story make the film rawer, and more moving and emotional. The approach helps the director avoid the risk of voyeurism, since this is as much Nicole’s story as the director’s. They grew up together and are reflected in one another, with the camera and curiosity as their silent companions.
A different type of film-diary with a completely different story is narrated by Hamida Issa. She used archive footage from her childhood, images of the desert and video blogs from her trip to Antarctica to delve into her inner world and map out her connection to her motherland, Qatar. Feeling connected and disconnected, close and afar, and all sorts of other conundrums of emotion are experiences that the director conveys effectively. The cinematic style and the mood fit perfectly the state of a flowing reflection, accompanied by a voice-over.
Both these documentaries are modest and depict a singular experience, but what is telling and important is that the stories are told by their owners in a way they deem appropriate. Moreover, both these artists are women, which means that they represent that half of humankind which has often been silenced, represented and governed by the other half of the global population. Liberation through words, images, sounds and editing is a revolution that visibly pulsated in the Arab Documentary Competition. These documentaries were not just about accompanying the respective protagonists of the stories; they were crafting the stories, setting up the vocal emission and calibrating the narratives.
“There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you”, said American writer Maya Angelou. Thanks to the docu-diary, the agony can be easily overcome.
Ola Salwa
Edited by Birgit Beumers
© FIPRESCI 2024