As part of the week tribute to Mahmoud Darwich from 10 to 18 October 2018
It is difficult to imagine, in the West, the immense popularity enjoyed by poets in the East. From the Middle East to North Africa, not only do we read more poems than novels, but we also consider poetry as a living art and to be declaimed on stage by the authors. When Mahmoud Darwich gives a poetic recital in Cairo, Beirut or Algiers (but also in Paris or London), considerable crowds come to chant his verses with him. It even happens (this was the case recently in Casablanca) that the voice of the poet must be broadcast by loudspeakers in the nearby streets to satisfy the enthusiasm of the amateurs. Our ambition is that this film succeeds in understanding this popular fervor, to share the emotion born of the words and the inimitable rhythm of Darwich, while allowing the viewer to understand his work in its entirety, in its historical and cultural context.
Screening followed by an exchange with Simone Bitton, director and Raphaël Nieuwjaer, film critic
All the information on the IMA-Tourcoing website