Nicosia Cineclub (2022-2024)
Cinema collective in Nicosia, Cyprus, Curated by Cindy Chehab and Nuné Tunjikian.
2022 - 2024, Cyprus
Cinema collective in Nicosia, Cyprus, Curated by Cindy Chehab and Nuné Tunjikian.
2022 - 2024, Cyprus
Film, memory, and Trauma
The challenge of forgetting has intensified due to the captivating and paradoxically joyful act of capturing the human experience on film. Pictures, narratives, and impressions all co-construct memory. We wanted to explore through this program how filmmakers navigate this subject, examining our connections and knowledge as we witness these portrayals on screen, through evoking our memories and prompt contemplation on how cinema shapes our recollections, the depiction of trauma in films, the narratives surrounding memories, and their impact on our understanding of it.
This program was presented within the framework of INDAFF | Film, memory, and Trauma closing event.
EL TAELLER MULTI-SPACE | NICOSIA, CYPRUS
09/04/2024
Program (60’)
And I Wish You a Happy Life (2020)
A Full Life, I suppose (2023)
In the presence of filmmaker Alexandros Pissourios.
On decolonial narratives around public transport
Public transport is more than just a means of getting from one place to another; it is an essential part of a city's identity, shaping its form and influencing the daily lives of its residents. The removal or disruption of public transport systems can strip a city of its character, echoing the dislocation experienced by migrants who leave their home countries and must adapt to new environments. As migrants navigate new destinations, often in former colonial powers, they encounter different modes of transport that further distance them from their cultural roots.Through curated film screenings, this project explores the decolonial narratives embedded in public transport systems in Cyprus and Lebanon, shedding light on the complex histories of both islands and countries. The first screening featured colonial British films, followed by a discussion led by historian Ilaeira Agrotou Georgiou. This was followed by the workshop Tactical Bus Stops / Ad-Hoc Bus Stops in Nicosia conducted by Georges Kyrou, in collaboration with Pame Kaimakli.
In Cyprus, bus stops are often without shade or rain cover, typically consisting only of a signpost placed on the pavement. The project tasked participants with building a bus shelter using ad-hoc techniques, upcycling discarded or unwanted materials to create a pleasant space for waiting. The goal was to create a sense of monumentality around the bus stop, fostering a community connection to the structure and a sense of pride in its uniqueness through a tactile workshop.
The project culminated in January 2025 with Raneen Shamas's exhibition "Lost in Transit," which was held at El Taeller space in Nicosia.
In Lebanon, the mobility landscape is adorned with a vibrant mixture of words. From the backs of buses to the sides of trucks, these vehicles are not only carriers of passengers but also moving canvases, bearing witness to a nation's social, emotional, and cultural flows. Lost in Transit, a photo exhibition by Beirut-based artist Raneen Shamas, explores this vernacular, unraveling the hidden narratives within the everyday movement of people and goods.
Shamas gathers and recontextualizes the poetic, humorous, and often raw inscriptions found on these vehicles. These phrases, slang expressions, declarations of love, sharp political commentary, or heartfelt prayers: become windows into the collective memory of a society navigating its complexities. The language is raw, sometimes personal, yet universally resonant, reflecting ideas of identity, resilience, and adaptation in a world in constant motion.
The exhibition featured a parallel screening of Hady Zakkak's Marcedes (2011), a feature documentary exploring the life of a car as a witness to Lebanon’s political history from the French colonial era through the civil war. Followed by Fatima Joumaa's Our Beautiful Eyes (2022), a poetic personal reflection on encounters with mobility and identity in Paris.
On Revolution and Institutions
Our bi-weekly film program investigates the dynamic tension between systems of power and the forces that challenge them. Highlighting films from diverse eras and regions, the program delves into the complexities of revolutions—political and social—and the institutions that resist, adapt, or collapse under their pressure. The selection captures the spirit of rebellion and the transformative power of collective action, inviting audiences to reflect on cycles of oppression and the shifting relationship between individuals and institutions.
SOCIAL SPACE KAYMAKKIN | NICOSIA, CYPRUS
Bi-weekly film screening, October - December 2024
Program:
Memories of Underdevelopment (1968) by Tomás Gutierrez Alea
Born in Flames (1983) by Lizzie Borden
The hour of liberation has arrived (1974) by Heiny Srour
A grin without a cat (1977) by Chris Maker
The Valley of Salt (2016) by Christophe M. Saber
Dust Games (2000) by Martin Marecek
Film festival 2nd edition | Programmer | Indie Film Festival | April 2024, Cyprus
As a co-programer for INDAFF, we programmed a series focused on shorts from SWANA (South West Asia and North Africa), divided into three distinct days, each exploring different facets of cinema. The program featured:
26/04/24
Cinema as a Cycle of Life: Shorts that reflect the ongoing rhythms and transitions of human existence.
27/04/24
Cinema as a Love Language: A selection of films that explore love, relationships, and emotional connection.
28/04/24
Decolonial and Indigenous Cinema: A day dedicated to shorts that challenge colonial narratives and highlight Indigenous perspectives.
Each day of the program showcased diverse voices from the SWANA region, offering audiences a chance to reflect on key cultural, political, and emotional themes through the lens of global cinema
Bodies Against the Grain
A curated evening of five short films exploring the experiences, desires, and quiet resistance held within women’s bodies that took place in the heart of the city of Lisbon. These works include animated, experimental, and essay films. What unites them is a refusal to depict violence as spectacle.
The program emerged from ongoing curatorial discussions on how to present these films with sensitivity. We questioned not only what is shown but also how it is shown and who is speaking. This program invites viewers to not just sit with discomfort but to open space for reflection, accountability, and shared vulnerability.
Some of these films are not easy to watch, but watching them together might make them easier to hold. In a community, we build a different kind of gaze. One that listens, one that stays. To stand with is to honour. It is to say: I see you, I am here.
A surprise performance by Sepideh Khodarahmi followed the screening
The erotic clown invites you, your gaze, and your shivers…
Dive into the erotic potential of destruction; to stroke, pulse, touch, and taste; an invitation to enjoy the landscape of pelvic articulation and to witness a narrative written in goo and crumbles.
Curated by Sabrina Rose, with Cindy Chehab, Faranak Nateghi, Enxhi Noni, Ruba Alsharki
CASA DA COMUM | Lisbon, Portugal
29/05/2025
Program:
Sandstorm/ Mulaqat (2021) Seemab Gul| Pakistan | 20”
Will you come with me (2023) Derya Durmaz | Germany | 2”
To be a seed/ Ser Semilla (2023) Julia Granillo Tostado I Belgium, Mexico | 6”
Suburbs Of Eden (1996) Cecelia Condit I United States | 16”
Removed (1999) Naomi Uman | United States | 7”