Crisis Cinema in the Middle East: Creativity and Constraint in Iran and the Arab World

Filmmakers in the Arab world and Iran have continued to tell their stories despite the odds, using creative acts that attest to their imagination, courage, and resilience. Shohini Chaudhuri's book examines a broad range of films made since 2009, including internationally award-winning festival favorites and lesser-known films, and identifies nine creative strategies for producing work under conditions of crisis. She argues that creativity is shaped by constraints, whether externally imposed or self-imposed, and that the range of creative strategies emanating from the region is wider than allegory and becoming ever more direct.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 328 pages
Publication date: 25 January 2024
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

In recent years, the Arab world and Iran have been plagued by catastrophic events, including brutal state crackdowns on revolutions. Despite these challenges, filmmakers have persevered in their quest to tell their stories, showcasing their imagination, courage, and resilience. In this book, Shohini Chaudhuri delves into a diverse range of films produced since 2009, encompassing both internationally acclaimed festival favorites and lesser-known regional gems. While freedom of expression is often associated with state censorship, Chaudhuri uncovers the various obstacles filmmakers face and their innovative strategies for overcoming them, transforming these constraints into creative opportunities. Through original interviews with renowned filmmakers like Waad al-Kateab, Yasmin Fedda, Larissa Sansour, Mani Haghighi, and Ossama Mohammed, Chaudhuri identifies nine creative approaches for creating work in times of crisis. She argues that creativity is intricately shaped by both external and self-imposed constraints, including choices of genre, acceptance of rules and responsibilities, and existing materials, funding, and socio-political conditions. Chaudhuri demonstrates that the range of creative strategies emerging from the Middle East is far broader than mere allegory and is becoming increasingly direct. By exploring these strategies, she opens up new avenues for inquiry into cinematic creativity in conflict and crisis-ridden regions, both within the Middle East and beyond.

Weight: 498g
Dimension: 153 x 236 x 23 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781350190559