Events

Jocelyne Saab  (1948-2019), one of the Arab world’s most prolific independent filmmakers, began her career in French television in 1973, covering political upheavals and conflicts across the region, including the October War and an early interview with Gaddafi in Libya.
 
Inspired by her concern of the rise of fundamentalism in Egypt Saab shot her feature film “Dunia, Do Not Kiss Me On The Eyes” (2005) in Cairo which upon its release caused a scandal. Dunia is a meditation on female desire, a notoriously taboo subject in the Arab world, especially in the Egyptian society where the film takes place. Driven by the powerful eroticism of Arab poetry and music, the film talks about love and desire through the experience of a young woman traditionally and strictly educated. The film portrays the trauma provoked by female genital mutilation. Fighting against injustice and domination, Saab's work offers a different perspective on the dynamics of struggle in Arab countries, which she has always covered with great interest. 

In the framework of the festival Culturescapes Sahara 2025.