Mahmoud Darwish
Photo: Merav Yudilovitch
Cinematheques hold events in memory of Darwish
Director Simon Bitton's documentary 'As the Land is the Language' to be screened in Tel Aviv, Haifa and Jerusalem in honor of Palestinian poet who died one month ago
The Tel Aviv, Haifa and Jerusalem Cinematheques will hold special events in memory of Palestinian poet and intellectual Mahmoud Darwish, who died
about a month ago, including a special screening of director Simon Bitton's documentary "As the Land is the Language."
The Haifa screening, which will be held Wednesday, will be opened by author and literature critic Antoine Shalhat.
The Tel Aviv screening, which will be held Tuesday, will be opened by Dr. Amnon Raz-Krakotzkin of Ben-Gurion University in the Negev. Actror Saleh Bakri will read a selection of Darwish's poems.
Poet Honored
Sharon Roffe-Ofir
Friends, family congregate in honor of Palestinian poet. MK Barakeh: Darwish will be there when Palestinians are freed
"As the Land is the Language" is one of the only filmed documents in which Darwish reveals his art, life and complicated relations with his land.
The film focuses on the connection between Darwish's poetry and the land he writes about but cannot return to, and follows the simultaneous development of his life and art, from his adolescence in Haifa through his years of exile in Beirut and Tunisia, where he became an active member of the Palestinian liberation movement, to his adult life in Paris, Amman and Ramallah.
The film shows Darwish in his home as well as in poetry events in Cairo, Beirut and Algiers in which he read his poems in front of packed auditoriums. These scenes present his work in political, historic and cultural contexts.
The events in memory of Darwish will be held together with the Masharaf magazine, edited by Siham Daoud.
