Atteyat Al-Abnoudy
Bihar al-'Attash (Seas of Thirst)
Courtisane: Out of the Shadows
44'
-
1980
-
Dialogue:
Arabic
Director:
Atteyat Al-Abnoudy
In Seas of Thirst, Al-Abnoudy moves away from her usual exploration of Egypt’s south to the north of the country,
wherein she captures communities living near the salty
lakes of El Borrolos during a treacherous drought.
In Seas of Thirst, Al-Abnoudy moves away from her usual exploration of Egypt’s south to the north of the country, wherein she captures communities living near the salty lakes of El Borrolos during a treacherous drought. Bearing a stark contrast to the barren landscape around them, the richness of the local characters provides the moving narrative of a struggling class in its entirety.
Copies and texts courtesy of Asmaa Yehia El-Taher, Yasmin Desouki and Cimatheque — Alternative Film Centre in Cairo.
“As a human being, one can learn a great deal about people when working on a documentary film. I learned
to wait for others and not have them wait for me.
Watching the young girls and women carry tens of bricks
on their heads passing before the camera one after the
other, I considered capturing them from different angles
but immediately stopped myself. I felt it was a form of
injustice to exploit the labor of others as it happened
before me for the sake of filmic content. I learned to respect
them, to respect their presence, and to ensure that the
camera is always brought to their level.”
Image gallery
Credits
Director
Atteyat Al-Abnoudy
More information
Dialogue
Arabic
Countries of production
Egypt
Year
1980
