Chronicles From The Siege
by Abdallah Al-Khatib
Summary
The lives of a group of ordinary people are turned upside down when their city is besieged, forcing each of them to confront impossible choices in pursuit of survival in a war zone. Bodies and minds are equally under attack. and ordinary people are forced to reckon with starvation, inadequate medical treatment, snipers, and bomb blasts. Yet they continue to live, seeking friendship, love, intimacy, and the pleasure of a cigarette. A small group of cinephiles sheltering in their neighborhood video store is confronted with the moral conundrum of whether or not to burn the movies they have rented, and cherish, to keep warm. The mental impact of the siege is boldly expressed in writing on the door of one of the characters,which reads: “I don’t see my life outside the confines of the siege. And I don’t see an end to the siege outside of the confines of my life.”
Winner of the Best First Feature award at the Berlin International Film Festival.
Co-Presented by Institute for Palestine Studies
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