Khiam - The film

by Joana Hadjithomas & Khalil Joreige

Until South Lebanon was liberated in May 2000, it was impossible to visit the Khiam detention camp, which was located in an area occupied by Israel and its proxy militia, the South Lebanon Army. No image of it was ever seen. Sonia, Afif, Soha, Rajae, Kifah and Neeman were imprisoned for more than ten years at Khiam. 


To make up for the absence of images, they describe in detail how they survived, slept and dreamt between the four walls of a 180 x 80 cm cell, and how they secretly made utilitarian and artistic objects. They discuss their experience of detention, the relation they developed to art, in order to survive and disobey, keep a humanity that those kind of camps try to annihilate. 


After it was dismantled in May 2000, Khiam camp was turned into a museum. During the July 2006 war, the site was totally destroyed by Israeli raids. There was subsequently talk of rebuilding it exactly as before. In 2007, the artists met again with the six former prisoners and discussed the liberation of the camp, its total destruction, history and reconstruction, as well as the imagination and the power of the image.

2 oct. at 5:30pm

Cinéma Le Mondial

3 oct. at 4pm

Cinéma Le Mondial

Cinema Le Mondial

Oct. 2 at 5:30 pm and Oct. 3 at 4 pm


Language and year of production: Arabic with English subtitles, 2000-2007

103 min.

Ticket 5TND

Distribution
Production

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