Film
Film
I regard my documentaries as a chance for viewers to catch a glimpse into a different world. Not only to be touched by its beauty, but to use the changed perspective to reflect on their own experiences, beliefs, and realities. At the heart of my films always lies a story that has moved me and that I believe has the power to inspire others.
I might take on the roles of the scriptwriter, director, videographer, editor, or translator. However, I believe, above all, I am always a character in the film itself as viewers see the story through my eyes. The filmmaking process is guided by my relationship to collaborators, protagonists, and subjects. I am using ethnographic and participatory methods which have at their heart familiarity with the subject matter, high ethical standards, and the inclusion of participants in the creation process.
Planes (2017, 02:37 min.):
Planes follows five airplanes through history and across the skies of Berlin and Aleppo. On their journey, they take you to stories that tie the planes, three family members and myself together: A teenage apprentice in a factory, a hobby pilot landing on a historic airport, a young man who builds a new life in Berlin, and me who hopes to visit his old home.
Screened at: German International Ethnographic Film Festival (2018, Koblenz, Germany); Bundes.Festival.Film (2019, Hildesheim, Germany)
Awards: German Generations Film Award (2019)
Between Beats and Code (2018, 06:16):
Between day and night, software and music, global connection and private apartment. In an age of a new way of working, it matters less where one is located than which global connections one can access. Between Beats and Code explores the intersection between labor and passion of a software developer who aims to be a techno music producer.
Screened at: Regard Bleu (2018, Zurich, Switzerland)
Trabolsi (2019, 55:56 min.):
“Tripoli is a tired city, it’s an exhausted city, it’s a beautiful, exhausted city” says Khalid, who together with his friends Mariam and Nazih navigate their lives in a marginalized city, which has the reputation of being violent, dangerous and poor. Despite unfavourable conditions, they aspire to overcome the struggles of history and shape the future of a city they love.
Screened at: German International Ethnographic Film Festival (2020, Göttingen, Germany); Eyes and Lenses (2020, Warsaw, Poland); Filmfestival der Universität Trier (2021, Trier, Germany)