The importance of place and memory in preserving a people’s history are crucial to Diana Allan’s illuminating documentary. Still Life examines the role that a series of personal photos that survived the 1948 displacement play in the life of Said Ismael Otruk, an elderly Palestinian from Acre now living in exile in Lebanon.  These images play a central role as Said recalls his childhood and the halcyon days of his youth. His memories are not always accurate, so he relies on the photographs he managed to take with him. They are images of young boys, of the port, of fishing boats and the sea.

Allan will also be showing clips from a work in progress.

Panelists:
Diana Allan is an anthropologist and filmmaker. Her most recent book, Refugees of the Revolution: Experiences of Palestinian Exile, explores the contingencies of nationalism and everyday survival in Shatila, a Palestinian refugee camp in Beirut. Diana is also the founder and co-director of the Nakba Archive, a testimonial project that has recorded over 650 interviews on film with first generation Palestinian refugees living in Lebanon.

Popcorn and drinks provided.

Presented by the Duke Human Rights Center at the Franklin Humanities Institute.  Our series is coordinated with See/Think/Act which examines how visual culture intersects with human rights.

Co-sponsored by the Program in the Arts and the Moving Image, Duke Screen Society, Humanities Futures, the Human Rights Archive, the Trent Foundation, and AMES Present.