HENGAW AND NAMIK
a video installation by
JIYAN DÜYÜ
MOHAMMED MRABET
THE LAST STORYTELLER
A FILM BY NORDIN LASFAR
In the migrant worker family I grew up in, there were no books to be found. The idea of creative expression felt far removed from my world. In the mid-1990s, as a young student, I wandered around, struggling with the question of what to do with myself and my life. During that time, I happened to see a fragment of a documentary on television that would change my life.
It was a documentary about an older, distinguished American writer who had lived in Tangier (Morocco) for many years. I borrowed *The Sheltering Sky* by that same American author, Paul Bowles, from the nearest library. The book left a profound impression on me. It opened the door to the world of art and literature. Through Bowles' work, I discovered the stories of Mohammed Mrabet, an illiterate storyteller from Tangier who inspired Bowles and collaborated with him. Bowles recorded Mrabet’s stories on tape and translated them into English. Their collaboration resulted in fourteen books, including novels and short story collections, which have been translated into thirteen languages worldwide. Mrabet's body of work offered me a new perspective on Morocco, my country of origin, and on Tangier—the city shrouded in myth and legend.
The Moroccan storytelling tradition, *hikayat*, is more than a thousand years old. *Hikayat* is the ‘street’ form of passing on moral lessons, preserving cultural traditions, and entertaining people with folktales. Many storytellers were illiterate. Some stories lasted for days, told in parts over the course of a week in cafés where kif was smoked.
In the mid-1950s, a young Mohammed Mrabet spent his days in those cafés, listening to the stories. It was during this time that the seed for his own gift as a storyteller was planted.
Mrabet is now 86 years old. His résumé reveals a wild and colorful life: illiterate, storyteller, painter, fisherman, boxer, driver, bodyguard, fugitive, cook, and bartender. But he became famous for his phenomenal talent for storytelling. That talent brought him into the company of renowned Beat Generation figures such as Paul Bowles, Jack Kerouac, William Burroughs, Truman Capote, and Tennessee Williams.
Paul Bowles had lived in Tangier for some time, and the American artist colony lingered there through the wild years of the 'International Zone,' when anything and everything was possible—and cheap. The strikingly handsome young Mrabet was not only a witness to, but also a centerpiece of decadent Tangier. His fame soared when Paul Bowles transcribed his stories. In the 1960s and 1970s, playwright Tennessee Williams paraded him around as a trophy guest in New York and Hollywood.
A years-long friendship developed between Paul Bowles and Mrabet—one that was extraordinary but also uneasy, fueling speculation and myth-making from the start. Bowles, the older, homosexual American intellectual, and Mrabet, the young, handsome, illiterate fisherman. People who knew Bowles well have confirmed that their decades-long friendship also included a sexual relationship—something Mrabet has always denied. The friendship between Bowles and Mrabet lasted more than 30 years but ended in the mid-1990s due to disputes over money and royalties. In his old age, Mrabet feels bitter toward those he believes exploited him.
Today, Mohammed Mrabet is all but forgotten. He lives in a small alleyway in Tangier, surrounded by his paintings and the memories and stories he has recorded on countless cassette tapes—still hoping that someone will turn them into a book, as in the glory days.
To me, Mohammed Mrabet represents an 'authentic gaze' on Tangier’s history—a history we mostly know through Western eyes. Yet, more importantly, Mrabet's personal story brings forth urgent, contemporary questions: Who owns the story? This question touches on issues such as inequality, neo-colonial power structures, exploitation, and bitterness. As a filmmaker, I carry these questions throughout the film.
Thus, MOHAMMED MRABET – THE LAST STORYTELLER offers not only an insider's view of a legendary period in Moroccan history but also, for me, the right film at the right moment.
-Nordin Lasfar
Sasha Skochilenko is an artist from St. Petersburg, Russia. She was the first to speak out against the 'special military operation' in Ukraine through an artistic-activist performance: she changed the price tags in a supermarket and placed information about the war on them. Now, Sasha is in prison, facing trial.
Through the eyes of her friends Sonia and Lesha, we witness the ongoing trial, the absurdities and inhumanity of the Russian legal system, the threats that the group of friends who support Sasha encounter in daily life, and the way they try to express their feelings and solidarity through art performance. For a period of 18 months, they await the final verdict. This takes place in November 2023; Sasha is sentenced to another 7 years of imprisonment.
Directed by Anna Rudikova
Produced by Jos de Putter
70 min. theatrical, 52 min. tv
BREAKING NEWS: SASHA WAS AMONGST THE PRISONERS WHO WERE FREED AS PART OF THE EXCHANGE DEAL BETWEEN RUSSIA AND THE WEST, JULY 2024
Year: 2023
Format: 3 x Full HD
HEAVEN MUST BE LIKE THIS is a short film and video installation about three best friends talking about life and sharing the pain of losing a parent.
Leonel is sitting with his two friends, Carlos and Carlos, all of Cape Verdean descent, in the local café in their neighborhood in Lisbon. There is a bottle of Grog (homemade rum) on the table. They meet here every day around four o'clock. There is laughter, drinking, and smoking. The men talk about ordinary things. As the conversation progresses, it shifts from playful and nervous due to the cameras around them to a more serious tone. They talk about family, friends, children, life, and death. Gradually, a somber, reflective mood takes over.
Jiyan Düyü: 'my work often revolves around family and family relations. I try to navigate my family history and look for images or narratives that could be relatable. Losing a parent is one of the experiences I've had myself. With Heaven Must Be Like This, I worked with my Kurdish father and my Cape Verdean family. I wanted the viewer to sit at their table and observe the conversation. When I try to translate my thoughts into images, the work often becomes an immersive sculptural documentary. This film is edited as a different approach to what is known as a 'conversation': instead of seeing the protagonists speak, we see them listening to each other. This is how a conversation builds up.'
HEAVEN MUST BE LIKE THIS premiered as a video installation at Depot Boijmans, Rotterdam, in the Lakeside Collection. The short film has been selected for the debut competition at the Netherlands Film Festival 2024. The production was made possible thanks to the Wildcard from the Netherlands Film Fund.
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HEAVEN MUST BE LIKE THIS is een korte film en een videoinstallatie over drie beste vrienden die over het leven praten en de pijn van het verlies van een ouder delen.
Leonel zit met twee vrienden, Carlos en Carlos, allemaal van Kaapverdische afkomst, in het plaatselijke café in hun buurt in Lissabon. Er staat een fles Grog (zelfgemaakte rum) op tafel. Ze komen hier elke dag rond vier uur samen. Er wordt gelachen, gedronken, en gerookt. De mannen praten over gewone dingen. Naarmate het gesprek vordert, verandert het van speels en nerveus vanwege de camera's om hen heen naar een serieuzere toon. Ze praten over familie, vrienden, kinderen, leven en dood. Geleidelijk aan neemt een sombere, reflectieve stemming de overhand.
Jiyan Düyü: 'mijn werk gaat vaak over familie en familierelaties. Ik probeer mezelf door mijn familiegeschiedenis te navigeren en op zoek te gaan naar beelden of verhalen die herkenbaar kunnen zijn. Het verliezen van een ouder is een van de dingen die ik zelf heb meegemaakt. Met Heaven Must Be Like This heb ik samengewerkt met mijn Koerdische vader en mijn Kaapverdische familie. Ik wilde dat de kijker het gevoel heeft aan hun tafel te zitten en het gesprek te observeren. Wanneer ik mijn gedachten probeer te vertalen naar beeld, wordt het werk vaak een meeslepende sculpturale documentaire. Deze film is gemonteerd als een andere benadering van wat bekend staat als een 'gesprek': in plaats van de hoofdrolspelers te zien praten, zien we ze naar elkaar luisteren. Zo ontstaat een gesprek vanuit blikken.'
HEAVEN MUST BE LIKE THIS ging als video-installatie in première in Depot Boijmans, Rotterdam, in de Lakeside Collection. De korte film is geselecteerd voor de debuutcompetitie van het Nederlands Film Festival 2024. De productie kwam tot stand dankzij de Wildcard van het Nederlands Filmfonds.
Year: 2022
Format: 4K
Runtime: 1 hr 14 min (74min)
The Yazidi girls were often just teenagers when they were abducted from their villages in the mountains of Kurdistan by fighters of the Islamic State. They were forced to convert to Islam and were sold as sex slaves to terrorists. Now that the survivors have returned to their homeland, the question arises as to whether they will be able to start anew. Theatre-maker Hussein is trying to help them find a new life.
Director: Reber Dosky
Photography: Roy van Egmond
Sound: Taco Drijfhout
Editor: Tobias Cornelissen
Original music: Mehmet Berazi
Sound design: Taco Drijfhout
Producer: Jos de Putter / Dieptescherpte BV
Year: 2019
Format: 4K
Runtime: 1 hr 23 min (83min)
For 25 long years, Sidik has been searching for a snow leopard in the war-scarred mountains of Kurdistan in northern Iraq. Once, there were many leopards here. If they return, Sidik believes that his people and his homeland will survive. If he can capture one of the magical creatures on film, the region will be declared a national park. And the bombs will never fall again. Sidik still hasn’t found his leopard, but he refuses to give up hope. As he travels through the Kurdish mountains, he meets animals, rivers, plants, and people. Their memories and stories mesh with his own.
Acclaimed director Reber Dosky’s poetic film tells a story of hope, pride, and the possibility of healing in a rarely seen land of astonishing beauty.
Year: 2016
Format: HD
Runtime: 1 hr 9 min (69min)
Radio Kobani tells the story of young female radioreporter Dilovan against the background of the fight against IS and the return to daily life in the Kurdish city of Kobanî.
Winner Dutch competition, IDFA 2016
F:ACT Award CPH Dox 2017
Year: 2016
Format: HD
Runtime: 1 hr 52 min (112min)
In WIM, documentary film maker Lut Vandekeybus takes you on a journey through the energetic, poetic and complex universe of her brother, the lauded choreographer and director Wim Vandekeybus. It is a spirited portrait of an impressive career.
Year: 2015
Format: HD
Runtime: 45 min
Images of asylum seekers and world leaders regularly make the front pages of Dutch newspapers. In this way, press photographers largely determine our image of reality. In Image Hunters we see Elmar and Serge creating the images.
Now that everyone has a mobile phone with a camera, the work of the press photographer is under pressure. Elmar van de Marel and Serge Ligtenberg are renowned press photographers and are followed in the documentary Image Hunters.
Elmar van der Marel sees little distinction between news, documentary and street photography. This combination gives him a distinctive style with which he has won the Silver Camera three times in succession.
Where Van der Marel takes pictures of Amsterdam illegal immigrants, Ligtenberg in turn hunts for politicians. He photographs them at arrivals, greetings and at many other times.
Year: 2014
Format: HD
Runtime: 1 hr 02 min (62 min)
A French encyclopaedist tries to complete his life's work beyond death. N is a story of an unusual obsession. Hovering between dream and reality, this magical film plays on the confrontation between the Western mind and African spirituality.
Year: 2014
Format: HD
Runtime: 1 hr 04 min (64 min)
The story of a top Dutch racing pigeon who ends up in Beijing, told from the perspective of the bird.
Year: 2014
Format: HD
Runtime: 1 hr 12 min (72 min)
SEE NO EVIL portrays the daily life of three famous elderly apes who spend their days in retirement homes; a movie-star, a scientist and a crippled. We have watched and taught them for many years, as they have watched us. A sometimes bitter, poetic recapture of the intriguing relationship between Chimp and Man, as ‘remembered’ by the protagonists.
Awards:
Viktor, Best Film, Dokfest München
Nominated for Big Screen Award, IFFR Rotterdam
Special Jury Prize Dokfest Gdansk
Bellona Foundation Special Prize Message2Man, St Petersburg
Year: 2014
Format: HD
Runtime: 1 hr 16 min (76 min)
In 1994, eleven-year old Leonardo dreamt of becoming a soccer player to escape the slums of Rio de Janeiro. As a result of a documentary, he made his dream come true. Twenty years later, Leonardo, now a star and a millionaire, returns to the people he left behind. The sequel reflects on a question: what does it mean when a film takes over your life?
Solo; out of a dream portrays the life and history of Leonardo.Twenty years ago, he was the main character in the Award-winning documentary Solo; the law of the favela.
In 1994, Leonardo and Anselmo were 11 years old. They lived in the slums of Rio de Janeiro, were the best of friends and dreamt of becoming professional soccer players. As a direct result of the documentary, Leonardo came to The Netherlands at the age of 14, to play for topclub Feyenoord. He went on to play for Ajax and top teams in Europe, became a star and a millionaire.
During the 2014 World Championship in Brasil, the filmmaker and Leonardo return to Rio de Janeiro. Together, we go look for Anselmo and other people from the documentary. Against this backdrop, Leonardo evaluates his life and gradually a personal tragedy emerges. Thus, the film reflects on the question what it means when a film takes over your life.
Solo; out of a dream is about boyhood-dreams, ambition, sacrifices, fate and inevitable loss.
Year: 2011
Format: HD
Runtime: 1 hr 12 min (72 min)
While the multicultural dream seems permanently over for our southern neighbours and xenophobia increases, dramatist and writer Neske Beks’ allegiance to her Flemish people and family remains unabated in her documentary debut. In the 1970s, Beks grew up in a small suburb of Antwerp, in a warm working-class family. Her dark skin made Beks an outsider in her foster family. In this colourful family chronicle, she examines how the ideals of those years were replaced by the gut feelings of the extreme right. This happened in her own family, too, half of whom cast a vote for Vlaams Belang. Beks’ toughest relationship is with her dad, who already switched to the far-right Vlaams Blok party when Beks was still a teenager. And still, Eigen volk is definitely not a reckoning or character assassination, but a personal quest for the universal issues that unite us or drive us apart.
Year: 2011
Format: HD
Runtime: 1 hr 30 min (90 min)
THE URKER MEN'S CHOIR HALLELUJAH
(HET URKER MANNENKOOR HALLELUJAH)
Documentary with passionate singing from 'Het Urker Mannenkoor Hallelujah'. They sing in beautiful harmony, sometimes deafeningly loud, while the silence that follows is breathtaking. The feelings and thoughts of the choir members are hidden in that silence.
In the year that the Urker Mannenkoor celebrates its 100th anniversary, documentary maker Kees Brouwer - whose entire family lives on Urk - follows the choir while the men reveal their thoughts in this film. The stories of the Urkers are moving; from a drowned fisherman and the challenge of committed sins to love luck and the murder of an Urker boy.
The lives of the men are captured in the singing of the spiritual song. The choir is the place where all stories are coordinated and sound in harmony. Talking together is not possible, singing together is. Even in Paris, where they give a blistering concert on the occasion of their anniversary. And they prefer not to receive applause, because it is not human work.
Also known as Hallelujah, between storm and silence.
Year: 2008
Format: HD
Runtime: 1 hr 16 min (76 min)
Beyond the game is set in the world of incredibly popular cyber games and portrays several top players in the run-up to the World Championship.
Protagonists are an Asian and a European player, known in the cyber world as Sky and Grubby. Sky is 20, comes from China and is world champion in the game Warcraft. Grubby is 21, comes from Holland and is the former Warcraft world champion. The film portrays the lives of these two top players on the way to their final duel, as it were a hypermodern western.
Awards: Prize for artistic success, Dutch Filmfund
Year: 2008
Format: HD
Runtime: 1 hr 15 min (75min)
Documentary about an 103 year old sjamaan in the North-east of India who descends every day into hos own grave to wait for death.
Awards: Regards Neufs, Visions du Réel, 2009
Year: 2006
Format: HD
Runtime: 58 min
The documentary begins with spectacular sfx-footage of how water swallows The Netherlands. In Before the flood it is soon clear that fiction is rapidly becoming reality. Renowned Dutch actor Pierre Bokma coolly plays a man who as a boy was home alone with his baby brother during the flood disaster in Zeeland. The men of the Schieland and Krimpenerwaard polder board anxiously keep an eye on the water levels in the polders and a Dutch scientist explains how he, inspired by the warnings in Revelations, made wind analyses and concluded that in the near future Europe will be facing life-threatening super storms. The saddening scenarios are intercut with poetical and terrifying archive footage that bears witness to the destructive power of the water: from crumbling polar caps to churning floods that wash away everything that lives.
Awards: Eco Award, Istanbul
Year: 2000
Format: HD
Runtime: 52 min
Nor his donkey is the last part in a tv documentary-series about the Ten Commandments. In the Pyrenees, France, a donkey is on its way from the top of the mountain to the valley to do the shopping for a sheperd who is obliged to stay with his herd. On his way, the donkey leads us along three stories related to 'covetness' (i.e. the Tenth Commandment):
1: Two weeks after the death of her husband, a widow receives a love-letter of a man she refused to marry forty-five years before and never saw again.
2: In London, a personal shopping assistant in a fancy warehouse develops a shopping addiction and commits suicide after being discovered.
3: In Toronto, the annual meeting of the Mars Society is held. Plans are discussed for the future colonization of the Red Planet.
Year: 1995
Format: 16 mm
Runtime: 55 min
Fifty years after the atomic bombs destroyed Hiroshima and Nagasaki, 'Nagasaki Stories' seeks the personal and reveals the private recollections of some of Nagasaki's inhabitants, who survived the bomb.
We meet Mr. Kyushiro Kusakabe, a former reporter who lost his mother and wife, and who now, 50 years after the catastrophe, is travelling from Tokyo to Nagasaki, together with his sister-in-law. They speak about their memories of everyday life in prewar multi-cultural Nagasaki. By the time the two travellers reach Nagasaki we have come to know a municipal civil servant who tried unsuccesfully to map the area that had been ruined during the war, a former kamikaze pilot awaiting his death in a hospital, two sisters whose father had been a kimono tailor who went bankrupt when the war changed clothing habits, and a photographer who started his career the moment the A-bomb destroyed his hometown.
Their stories are balanced by home movie fragments which never literally illustrate yet do comment on, and sometimes poetically colour, the memories they speak of.
Year: 1994
Format: 16 mm
Runtime: 54 min
In the slums of Rio de Janeiro, the favelas, soccer might be the only chance to escape from the omnipresent atmosphere of violence and crime. Ten or eleven-year old boys who play soccer on the streets dream of a future as a professional soccer player, of a real shirt and a real club. 'Solo, the law of the favela', focuses on this dream of a number of boys against the background of the everyday life in the favela, at the time of the Soccer World Championships in the USA. Main characters are Leonardo and Anselmo, two eleven year old friends, who play soccer together in one of the clubs of the favelas. One day it looks their dreams come true. On that day Anselmo forgets his shoes and Leonardo has to make a choice.
1994: the World Cup is playing to an audience of billions, but Jos de Putter heads to the slums of Rio de Janeiro, to follow the children whose only dream, and only escape, is sport. Twelve-year-old best friends Leonardo and Anselmo hope to leave their reality of poverty and violence by playing soccer. When a scout for a professional club appears, their hopes seem answered, until only one is offered a contract. Solo is fascinating for its insights into the hope that sports offer to youth, and how it's taken away.
Awards: Joris Ivens Award IDFA 1994
Year: 1993
Format: 16 mm
Runtime: 1 hr 10 min (70 min)
'It's been a Lovely Day' is a portrait of a traditional dutch farmer's family, made by their son. The documentary focuses on the last year of the parents'work on the farm that has been passed on from one generation to the next for more than a century. Now, they will retire without a successor. The film observes without any explanatory comment but in an outspoken cinematographic style a traditional way of life that is disappearing throughout Europe. The film begins at 6 a.m. , January 1st, 1992, and ends in a foggy and lonely landscape twelve months later. In between it shows the last harvest, the now anachronistic choreography of an old farmer on his land, the typical slow conversations about the weather, the silent accepting of changing times.
Awards:
City of Utrecht Prize, 1993 (best debut of the year)
Chosen as best Dutch film of the year by readers of the Volkskrant and association of Dutch Film critics, 1994 .Chosen as one of the 16 best Dutch films in film history, part of official Dutch Film Heritage, 2007
