Dancing Palestine
- PALESTINE, UK / 2024 / Arabic, English / Color, B&W / DCP / 37 min
Director, Photography, Editing, Sound Design, Producer: Lamees Almakkawy
Photography: Grace Long Yung Yu, Ang Li, Keran Zhou, Simon Emilio Gutierrez, Daer Ding, Yash Zhang
Source: Lamees Almakkawy
“Dabke” is a folk dance born from life and labor. Dispossessed of their land, scattered around the world, and in danger of losing their identity, the Palestinian people have found in the dance a thread that links them and grounds them. The music and dance steps are housed in each of their bodies, preserving Palestinian history and culture. They cannot be taken away; they cannot be monopolized. The dance’s throbbing beat liberates them from stories of wreckage and sacrifice. It allows them to celebrate life. The rhythm of their stamping feet and their quiet stories show that Palestine exsists and lives on. (OM)
[Director’s Statement] When we talk about Palestine, it tends to be post-Nakba—the “Catastrophe,” in which at least 700,000 Palestinians were driven out of Palestine in 1948 when the state of Israel was established—or in the context of its colonizer. Palestine and Palestinians have become a symbol, rather than a country and a people. We forget that Palestine has a rich culture and history. It is for these reasons that this film tells a story of Palestine through its folk dance, the dabke. Though the dabke is a key component of the Palestinian political identity, it is also a reminder that Palestinians exist. Ultimately, this film is a love letter to Palestinians, their resilience, and their insistence on living life, in a world that does not want them to.
Lamees AlmakkawyObtained her Bachelor of Arts in Film and New Media from New York University Abu Dhabi, and Master of Fine Arts in Creative Documentary by Practice from University College London. Her interests lie in the intersection of documentary and fiction filmmaking, with a focus on identity, performance, collective and individual memory, and coming-of-age stories. Her films have screened in festivals including Open City Documentary Festival, Aesthetica Short Film Festival, Sheffield DocFest, DokuFest, BlackStar Film Festival, and Woodstock Film Festival. This film, her latest, received a Special Mention at Sheffield DocFest 2024.