In the 9th century in what is now Iraq, black slaves known as Zanj rebelled against the Abbasid Caliphate. Algerian journalist Ibn Battuta hears of this old revolution when reporting clashes within communities in Algeria. His investigation takes him to Beirut, from whence he plans to map out this Arab history. There he meets Nahla, a Palestinian woman whose family fled during the Lebanese Civil War to Greece. She wants to donate money to the Palestinians who are still living in Lebanon. Then there’s Mr Prince, who has earned lots of money in Iraq. This capitalist Westerner also comes to the Lebanese capital.
Tariq Teguia started collecting material in 2010 for his story about rebellion against oppression in the Arab region, with a powerful sense of the spirit of the times: the revolutions in Tunisia, Egypt and Yemen had yet to begin. His international production was made on a small budget, but you’d never guess from the beautiful camera work.
