Dreams and silence = Reves et silences

It is the autumn of 1990 in Jordan. The Islamic movement has declared a Holy War against the West and the Gulf War is at its height. Haifa Samhouri is a middle-aged Palestinian refugee living in Jordan. In this sensitively produced and directed documentary, Haifa talks of her life as a refugee, her love for her homeland, her arranged and loveless marriage, her sons, and her continuing philosophical battle with her religion, Islam, which on the one hand offers salvation and on the other, oppression, especially towards women. Bitter at times but often displaying an ironic sense of humour we see Haifa as she goes about her daily life, confronting, questioning her husband and male neighbours about the role of women within the Islamic faith but also prepared to sacrifice her son in the war if it means winning the war. Juxtaposed to Haifa’s story, is a discourse by an Islamic spiritual leader on the political and philosophical aspects of Islam against the background of the suffering and destruction of the Arab world and the aftermath of the Gulf War. Winner of several awards including Joris Ivens Award (1st prize) International Documentary Film Festival, Amsterdam 1991 and Honorary prize, Best Documentary, Valencia Film Festival, 1991. In Arabic with English and French subtitles.