Cinematheque@TheLab's first program starts with a special tribute to the late French-Swiss director Jean-Luc Godard, as we screen his 8-part documentary Histoire(s) du Cinéma which took 10 years to make (1988-1998), and represents a unique and critical documentation of the history and development of the art of cinema.
The discussion sessions are organized and moderated by writer and film critic Saleem Albeik.
The series is an extensive audio-visual experience that reflects on the multiple incarnations of cinema in relation to historical events, using and referencing hundreds of films produced during the twentieth century.
Saleem Albeik is a Palestinian film critic, novelist and cultural editor based in Paris. He published 6 literary works including the novels Ain Al-Deek (Hachette Antoine-Nofal, 2022), Scenario (Al-Ahlia, 2019), and Two Tickets to Saffuriyya (Al-Saqi, 2017). Albeik writes as a film critic on a weekly basis for Al-Quds Al-Arabi newspaper. He is an editor for Romman online cultural magazine and produces and presents the cultural news bulletin for Monte Carlo radio station. Albeik is currently working on several books on Palestinain cinema and is a member of the programming committee at Palestine Cinema Days Festival. Albeik also works as an independent contributor for a number of festivals and cultural organizations.
Cinematheque@TheLab is a film program that consists of private screenings coupled with critical discussions, assembled and led by groups of Arab film researchers and curators. The program centers around a large archive of Arab and international films that is constantly growing and developed as part of a collective effort.
The project aims to function as a meeting point for film researchers and writers as well as film critics by inviting them to organize regular events of film programs, discussion sessions, workshops and various screenings. Our mission is to provide a common space for exchange of cultural knowledge related to the art of the moving image, and to delve into the intersections between film as a medium and other forms of artistic expression.