Join us for a screening of three short films programmed in collaboration with South London Gallery as part of their Yto Barrada exhibition.

The SLG’s longstanding South by South Film programme, dedicated to African cinema, spotlights North African film as part of the Yto Barrada exhibition. This focus reflects Barrada’s deep commitment to the region and to North African cinema, most notably through founding La Cinémathèque de Tanger in the iconic 1930s building of Cinema Rif. 

The first screening begins in Tangier — Barrada’s place of origin and return, and home to La Cinémathèque, whose legacy continues to shape Moroccan film and the city of Tangier.

The screenings will be followed by a panel discussion with the artist, Hicham Gardaf, and Imane Elkabli, from the Marrakech Short Film Festival, chaired by the film programme’s curator Jessica el Mal.

PROGRAMME

Yasmeen Benabdallah, Visions of a Dreamt Sunset (1 min 35 sec) – This film was made during an artist residency at La Cinémathèque de Tanger. Set in Tangier, this film is travelogue on loss and healing as well as a reflection on the colonial legacies of Tangier. 

 Salma El Belghiti, DarHome (16 min) – Young people from Tangier’s disadvantaged neighbourhoods perform scripts based on their lives as a form of therapy. 

Hicham Gardaf, In Praise of Slowness (17 min ) – A meditation on Tangier’s rapid urbanisation, revealing resistance to capitalism through local rhythms of slowness.  

Programme is curated by Jessica El Mal of The Arab British Centre.

ACCESS

• Tickets cost £5-£10 and are booked via the South London Gallery website
• If you would like to attend this event but the ticket price is a limitation please get in touch as we have reserved a number of free tickets for low-income individuals. Contact us at: mail@southlondongallery.org
• Room will be dark 
• Wheelchair access and accessible toilets are available at this site.
• Please contact mail@southlondongallery.org with any additional access requirements or questions.

ABOUT JESSICA EL MAL

Jessica El Mal is the curator of As We Are, Might Have Been and Could Be, the Arab British Centre’s three-year visual arts and talent development programme, supported by Freelands Foundation. It focuses on commissioning artists of Arab descent in the UK, hosting exhibitions, international residencies, and community activities in partnership with a diverse array of institutions, museums and galleries. She is also founder and co-director of A.MAL Projects, an art and research initiative between North Africa and Europe and a PhD candidate at Leeds University.

ABOUT SOUTH BY SOUTH

South by South is a quarterly film screening at the South London Gallery. This programme focuses on presenting cinema from Africa and the diaspora to audiences in the UK.

ABOUT THE MARRAKECH SHORT FILM FESTIVAL

Rooted in the historic crossroads of trade and storytelling, Marrakech has long been a cinematic city. With the pandemic closing cinemas and leaving a cultural void, the Marrakech Short Film Festival was founded to bring the community back to the shared joy of film. What began as small, open-air screenings has grown into an annual celebration of short films by emerging and established directors, curated with inclusivity at its core.

Image credit: Still from In Praise of Slowness, 16mm film transferred to video, colour, sound, stereo, 2023. Courtesy of the artist, Hicham Gardaf