Thursday, April 12

Shirin Neshat: “Oum Kulthum is an untouchable figure.”

Looking for Oum Kulthum from “Musicians” was screened at Atlas Sineması with the participation of Iranian director Shirin Neshat who answered the questions from the audience after the screening. The film shows the life of Oum Kulthum, the legendary singer of the Arab World, in a “film-within-a-film” form. This year, director Neshat is also among the Jury of Istanbul Film Festival’s “Human Rights in Cinema Competition”. Before the screening Neshat said: “I’m actually a photographer. The film you’re about to see is mostly based on this form. I should also mention that you’re going to watch a complicated film; it’s a multi-layered film in which the archival material and dream sequences are intertwined. In this film reality and fiction become one with one another.” After the screening, Neshat talked about Oum Kulthum: “As an artist, I also sometimes think I make a mistake or that I’ve failed. The reason why the protagonist tears Oum Kulthum to pieces at the very end is because Oum Kulthum never fails… Oum Kulthum is an untouchable figure. She was an artist dedicated to her art and to her work. That’s why she’s become who she is.”

Fotoğraf: Benek Özmez