In June 2009, Tamaas, an international non-profit arts organization, invited eight poets and filmmakers from France, Lebanon, Mexico, Morocco, and the United States, to Tangier, Morocco. They had not met prior to their arrival in Tangier, therefore adding to the experimental nature of the project. The artists worked in pairs of one filmmaker-one poet each. These four poet-filmmaker pairs collaborated using super 8 film and writing original text to create experimental “film-poems.” Working under tight time constraints, they had just four days to film, four days for sound, and four days for editing. The artists took inspiration from the city of Tangier, its history, architecture, people, politics, as well as from each other, to produce these short film-poems.
Road Marine
Ivan Boccara + Carla Faesler
Les arabes aiment les chats
Akram Zataari + Liliane Giraudon
Threshold Songs
Natalia Almada + Peter Gizzi
Buildings in a Field
Jem Cohen + Luc Sante
HD, 41 minutes
Director, screenplay, editing, camera: the eight artists
Production: Tamaas
Languages: English, Spanish, French and Arabic with English, French, Arabic subtitles
Akram Zataari, born in 1966 in Lebanon, lives and works in Beirut.
Liliane Giraudon, born in 1946 in France, lives and works in Marseille.
Natalia Almada, born in 1974, lives and works in Mexico City.
Peter Gizzi, born in 1959 in Massachusetts, lives and works in Amherst, USA.
Jem Cohen, born in 1962, lives and works in New York City.
Luc Sante, born in 1954 in Belgium, lives and works in New York City.
Ivan Boccara, born in 1968 in Marrakech, lives and works between France and Morocco.
Carla Faesler lives and works in Mexico City.
Contact: www.tamaas.org
