Traumas

New Arab cinema

A reality that calls for the surreal

Arab filmmakers have long adopted a social realist view of everday life. A new wave is now emerging, says Amin Farzanefar, marked by fantasy, uncanny symbols and repressed memories.
Egyptian cinema

Three films on memory, loss and state violence

At this year's ALFILM Festival in Berlin, a unique trio of Egyptian films explored the impacts of trauma and authoritarian rule on everyday lives. A review of "Seeking Haven for Mr. Rambo", "Perfumed with Mint" and "Abo Zaabal 89".
The search for Syria's missing

Where is Ahmed?

Since the fall of Assad, thousands of Syrians searching for disappeared relatives have been left feeling abandoned by the new rulers. Meanwhile, the process of collecting evidence of the regime's crimes remains unsystematic.
Al Jazeera: Christchurch one year on

On 15 March 2019, an Australian neo-Nazi shot 51 men, women and children in two mosques in Christchurch. A year on, the scarred community awaits the conclusions of a governmental inquiry due in April. Many victims still struggle with trauma.