CMU's Center for Arts & Society presents a Syrian Dinner and a Movie: "Nezouh" with Syrian filmmaker Soudade Kaadan
Join us to view Nezouh, engage in an in-person discussion with Soudade Kadaan, and enjoy a delicious meal catered by local Syrian restaurant Ali Baba.
Thursday, April 10th, 2025 from 5:30-7:00pm
Frank-Ratchye STUDIO for Creative Inquiry, CFA 111
14-year-old Zeina and her family are the last to have stayed in their besieged hometown of Damascus in Syria. A missile rips a giant hole in their home, exposing them to the outside world. When a rope is mysteriously lowered into the hole, Zeina gets her first taste of freedom, and an unimaginable world of possibility opens up for her. But as the violence outside escalates, Zeina and her family must make the choice whether to stay or leave.
Soudade Kaadan is an award-winning Syrian film director and screenwriter, born in France and based in London. She started her career in documentary filmmaking in Syria before the war, and subsequently gained international recognition with her debut feature fiction film, The Day I Lost My Shadow. Her short fiction film Aziza won the Sundance Grand Jury Prize in 2019, and her second feature film Nezouh (backed by BFI/Film4/Starlight) won the Armani Beauty Audience Award at the Venice Film Festival in 2022, making her the only Arab woman director to win twice in Venice. Kadaan often intertwines elements of magical realism with stark realism, creating powerful narratives that are both deeply personal and grounded, but also universally resonant. She is currently working on her much-awaited third feature fiction film.
Join us to view Nezouh, engage in an in-person discussion with Soudade Kadaan, and enjoy a delicious meal catered by our friends at local Syrian restaurant Ali Baba. This event will be moderated by ASAR fellow Reem Al-Ghazzi.