An evening of short films followed by a projection of living archival materials with live musical accompaniment, all centred around the genocide in Gaza.
Doors 7pm
Tickets £7-12, No-one turned away for lack of funds
An evening of short films followed by a projection of living archival materials with live musical accompaniment, all centred around the genocide in Gaza.
Attendees:
Zoom: Mahdi Atiya Karira, Puppeteer and writer
In-person: Henry Plavidal, producer and editor.
Lacking professional training or a local puppetry tradition in the Gaza Strip, Ativa Karira honed his skills by learning from Palestinian artists in Jerusalem and West Bank cultural centers, as well as from experienced Egyptian puppeteers. He takes pride in having been the first to "introduce the art of string puppetry to the Gaza Strip." He founded the Khuyut Theatre ("Theatre of Strings") in Gaza City, where—prior to the war—he trained around fifteen young people, including twelve women, in the construction and manipulation of string puppets. The troupe created nearly eighty puppets and performed plays written by Mahdi, primarily for young audiences. In addition to his small home workshop, Mahdi worked in a larger space at Holst Park in Gaza City, a site dedicated to children's education and recreation. In early 2019, Khuyut Theatre garnered international media attention for its ingenuity in repurposing materials despite the blockade—such as extracting pigments from fishing gear to create paints. Over the past two years, his home, scripts, most of his puppets, his sets, and his workshop have been destroyed during repeated bombardments of Gaza.
Plavidal’s work focuses on social issues, art, and conflict. He has worked in the field of socially engaged and journalistic cinema in numerous countries, addressing diverse subjects and causes, notably in Palestine. As part of a documentary filmmaking team, he has received awards from ARTE and Al Jazeera.
This screening is hosted by The Video Catalogue: an occasional screening series that seeks to bring together archival materials and surprising cinema. @thevideocatalogue