The Self and the City

Is it possible to truly capture the character of a city in a two-hour film? This is a question that troubled and inspired the filmmakers of In the Last Days of the City for an entire decade before the film's premiere in 2016.

 

This workshop enables participants to share their own material and perspectives on the relationship between the city and the moving image. Various events within In formation touch on the individual and collective struggles within contemporary urban spaces. This particular workshop questions how the city shapes its citizens, how dialogues can be triggered by the shared experience of urban life, and how these relations become a tool within modes of storytelling.

 

The workshop is also an opportunity to investigate, test and challenge current independent means of film production and distribution. With an open and inclusive approach that resists an educational format, this session is based on the exchange of ideas and gives participants the opportunity to discuss the questions we ask ourselves when we decide to hold a camera in the city.

 

Participants are invited to send moving image material in advance in the form of a streamable link. Please note that while the material can take any desired cinematic form relating to the experience of filming in the city (such as personal footage, archival material, or an excerpt of a film), it should not exceed 5 minutes in duration to allow adequate time for participants to show their footage.

 

Please send a link to your material to the following email address by the 30 July:

 

Tamer El Said was born in 1972 in Cairo, where he currently lives. His first feature film, In the Last Days of the City (2016), premiered at Berlinale 2016, winning the Caligari prize.

 

Born in Scotland and raised in England as the son of Egyptian parents, actor Khalid Abdalla draws on his own family lineage to tackle Middle Eastern roles in Hollywood productions, making a conscious and aggressive attempt to cut against the grain of associated onscreen stereotypes.

 

A screening of In the Last Days of the City precedes this workshop on 2 August.