In this conversation, filmmaker and artist Mahmoud Massad reflects on his trajectory in documentary filmmaking, from his first feature-length film Recycle (2008) to his most recent work Cinema Kawakeb (2025). He will also discuss his approach, focusing on the intersections between personal narratives and the research-based frameworks through which his documentary films take shape.
The conversation will also reflect on how this approach has influenced the formation of his most recent installation Hammers and Permits, currently on view in Darat al Funun’s exhibition In That Same Hour.
The conversation will be in Arabic. Seating is limited.
Mahmoud Massad is a Jordanian-Palestinian artist that creates documentaries on identity and displacement. His breakout film “Recycle” (2008), won at Sundance. His works including “Blessed Benefit” fuse dark comedy with socio-political insight. His latest film, "Cinema Kawakeb," reveals personal stories from regional upheaval, offering a quiet reflection on loss, memory, and resilience while redefining cinematic language one frame at a time. His works have premiered at major festivals including Cannes, Toronto, and IDFA.
Projects at the Lab: The Cinematheque | All That We Witness launched this December and continues into January with a series of encounters that look closely at contemporary directions in Arab documentary practice. The program turns to works that approach wider realities through the immediacy of lived experience; following how personal perspectives surface within, complicate, or cast new light on collective events. In doing so, it reopens the question of what the documentary form can offer today: how it examines the past, and how it engages the pressures and urgencies of the present moment. The program brings together conversations, public discussions, and a workshop, alongside a film-screening series.