Event Info

Mohammad Malas | 1984 | 130′

Syrian helmer Mohammad Malas’ debut fiction is widely referenced as Syrian, and the greater Arab world’s, transition into auteur cinema. Partly autobiographical, this coming-of-age, bittersweet drama chronicles the story of Dib. Forced to leave his hometown of Quneitra after the death of his father, he moves with his brother and mother to Damascus. Growing up in the 1950’s, against a backdrop of political upheavals (the end of the military dictatorship in Syria, the rise of Gamal AbdelNasser, Egypt and Syria’s short-lived unification in 1958) Dib is faced with wonton violence and oppression, losing his childish illusions.

Dreams of a City, screened in Canne’s Semaine de la Critique 1984 and received an Honourable Mention at Berlinale 1985, is a groundbreaking example of neo-realist cinema of the era, bringing the effects of patriarchy and modernism to the fore.