Dreams of the City
MIA Exhibition Series – presented by DFI
Mohamad Malas / Feature Narrative / Syria / 1984 / Colour
In Arabic / English subtitles
Interests: Drama
N/A
Rated: Parental guidance is advised for viewers under the age of 13. Individuals under the age of 13 are not admitted into cinemas unless accompanied by an individual aged 18 or older.
Screenings
Synopsis
When his father dies, Dib, his younger brother and their mother (Yasmine Khlat) move away from their hometown Quneitra to Damascus. The mother’s despotic father reluctantly takes them in and tries to force her to remarry. Overwhelmed by the magic of the city, Dib wants to discover everything and is full of dreams, but his daily life is shaped by insults and punishments. Dib grows up against a backdrop of the political upheavals of the 1950s and loses his childish illusions in the face of such violence and brutality. The dreams of the city prove to be a nightmare. Mohammad Malas’ partly autobiographical debut film marked the transition to auteur cinema in Syria.
About the Director
Mohamad Malas was born in 1945 in Quneitra on the Golan Heights. He is a prominent Syrian filmmaker and has directed several documentary and feature films that garnered international recognition. He is among the first auteur filmmakers in Syrian cinema. He directed his first feature film, ‘Ahlam al-Madina’ (Dreams of the City), in 1983. The autobiographical coming-of-age film received the first prize both at the Valencia and the Carthage Film Festivals.
Credits
- Director
- Mohamad Malas
- Screenwriter
- Mohamad Malas and Samir Zirka
- Editor
- Haitham Kouatly