Rania Rafei

How is secularism depicted in films? The term "Aa'La'Ma'Ni" means worldly in Arabic. It's significant in the Middle East, where secularism is controversial since the majority often link secularism with atheism and anti-religious sentiment. SECULAR | Aa'La'Ma'Ni, a documentary based on academic research, explores the depiction of secularism in Middle Eastern cinema and TV channels. Filmmakers and regional producers openly discuss religion, sectarianism, authorities, minorities, and industry challenges.

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In the privacy of her own home, a Syrian woman shares her thoughts and feelings, talking about her existence, and her desire to be open about her sexuality in a conservative society.

The video ‘Embrace’, which is part of ‘Time and the Other’ (exhibition and book), is a single shot of a couple in an urban landscape. As the camera gets closer, the shot becomes more and more abstract. The concept of ‘Embrace’ is based on the ambiguity and violence projected onto any act, at that singular instant when the real and the non-real are indiscernible. In this short video, we are never sure whether the couple is fighting or embracing. ‘Time and the Other’ is the story of love and separation of a couple, viewed from the subjective angle of one of the lovers. That experience is expressed in the absence of the other. It includes 3 chapters: Embrace, Sleep & Lost Chords.

Between March and April 1974, students at the American University of Beirut occupied university offices for 37 days, demonstrating against a tuition increase. Fast forward to 2011, in the midst of the Arab Spring, filmmakers Rania and Raed Rafei decide to step back and reconsider the present situation in the light of the 1970s, a period pregnant with hope, but also a prelude to civil war. With the Lebanese student revolt of 1974 as their starting point, the filmmakers direct an absorbing documentary on the core issues of revolution and democracy. In addition to a meticulous re-enactment, they include theatrical improvisations in which activists give their interpretations of the student leaders’ actions in 1974.

The story of a city and its uprisings. From the 1940s into the present, Rania Rafei follows Tripoli, Lebanon’s second-biggest city, over the years, moving through different generations and factions. An act of political tenderness.