Feature Docu-Narrative Film
TOTAL BUDGET
US $140,000
CONFIRMED FINANCING
US $5,000
CONTACT
sandra.almadi@gmail.com
+201111206830
A journey through some of Jean-Luc Godard’s raw footage that he once filmed in the Middle East. An era that reshaped the lives of millions of Arab people in the later years and decades.
Sandra knows very few things about what happened during the events of Black September. Like most of her generation, her parents’ answers have never been fulfilling, and with whomever she has spoken about this, they have preferred to change the subject!
For years, she has been questioning the reasons behind this collective denial related to that segment of history.
In 1970, Jean-Luc Godard visited the Palestinian refugee camps in Jordan and Lebanon, in order to make a film called Until Victory. For 40 years, Until Victory remained unfinished. The French auteur of the Nouvelle Vague cinematically explored the Palestinian conflict for the first time in this unfinished documentary. The project was co-financed by the Arab League during the height of Godard’s militant filmmaking, accompanied by director Jean-Pierre Gorin and the Dziga Vertov Group. The production was halted shortly after the filming began due to both financial difficulties and the fact that several of the film’s characters, who belonged to the Palestinian Liberation Organization, were among the Palestinians that were killed during the infamous Black September.
Sandra, the director of the film, is a Palestinian artist who was born and raised in Jordan. She will film her journey searching for this footage and uncover the mystery behind its fate. What were the real reasons that pushed Godard to never finish his film? Through this quest, we will be sailing back in time as we catch a glimpse of this forgotten footage, and through its images, the memory of an important era will be reborn.
I have always been interested in the topic of collective memory, because I believe it is somewhat responsible for forming the present consciousness and awareness of any nation. I noticed this interest of mine during different stages of my professional life, and as I was born and raised in Jordan—where there is a huge gap between the people and their past—I have always had this sense of alienation.
How were people so detached from what was directly tied to their identity? This ‘past’ in question is not that far in time. Grave events took place, big changes occurred about 40 years ago. Even though it’s not very easy to trace it back now, I believe that Jornadians have a hidden collective awareness kept in a black box, buried deep.
Documentary filmmaking usually depends on protagonists that narrate the story we want to tell. In my film, I will trace places instead; the locations of these historic events will be my main platform. But where are the people? They are hiding behind their fears somewhere; sometimes forgotten, sometimes disappointed and hopeless. Or maybe they simply choose to forget. My protagonists will emerge from cinematic archives, where they have been ‘stored’ for years. Now they will shine again, like a bolt of lightning that illuminates the darkness of a long, cold night.
I have always been interested in the topic of collective memory, because I believe it is somewhat responsible for forming the present consciousness and awareness of any nation. I noticed this interest of mine during different stages of my professional life, and as I was born and raised in Jordan—where there is a huge gap between the people and their past—I have always had this sense of alienation.
How were people so detached from what was directly tied to their identity? This ‘past’ in question is not that far in time. Grave events took place, big changes occurred about 40 years ago. Even though it’s not very easy to trace it back now, I believe that Jornadians have a hidden collective awareness kept in a black box, buried deep.
Documentary filmmaking usually depends on protagonists that narrate the story we want to tell. In my film, I will trace places instead; the locations of these historic events will be my main platform. But where are the people? They are hiding behind their fears somewhere; sometimes forgotten, sometimes disappointed and hopeless. Or maybe they simply choose to forget. My protagonists will emerge from cinematic archives, where they have been ‘stored’ for years. Now they will shine again, like a bolt of lightning that illuminates the darkness of a long, cold night.
2014: Saken
2013: Nahr El-Bared Talks Back
2011: Nahr El-Bared Detention Camp
2008: Perforated Memory
2006: Full Bloom
2005: Far Away from Here