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Over the Sand, Under the Sun

فـوق الرمل … تحت الشمس

Over the Sand, Under the Sun (Fawq al-Raml, Taht al-Shams)

Short documentary about political prisoners struggling to come to terms with haunting memories, produced for the anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The film presents a reflection on the effects of prison in general and on the theatre director Ghassan Jbaii in particular. The artist used his work to come to terms with his haunting memories and regain the world outside the prison walls.

documentary, Mohamad Malas & Hala Alabdallah, Syria 1998, 32 min, Arabic with English Subtitles
Directors Mohamad Malas & Hala Alabdallah | Director of Photography Pierre Dupouey | Editing Dominique Pâris

text about the film
In 2000, film-makers Muhammad Malas and Hala Alabdallah produced their adaptation of Ghassan al-Jabai's 1994 short story On the Sand under the Sun. It was finally possible for this terrible story to be performed and filmed, even if the film had not yet been released for public screening. Whereas al-Jabai had scripted executions so indirectly as to be illegible, by 2000 the incomprehensible became crystal clear. Malas, Alabdallah and al-Jabai staged and then filmed the surreal story "written" in Tadmor prison. Al-Jabai had written the story in his head in defiance of the prohibition of writing. But the film portrays the writing as ink on paper next to an over floating ashtray behind bars. continue reading




Press Kit

OverTheSand_engl.pdf