Screening of From Abdul To Leila — US PREMIERE
From Abdul To Leila
Leila Albayaty, 2024, 92 min. In Arabic, English and French with English Subtitles
US Première
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After suffering amnesia from an accident, Leila, a young French artist of Iraqi origin, reconstructs her history by reconnecting with her family and delving into her roots. She learns Arabic, interprets the poems of her politically exiled Iraqi father, and immerses herself in the history of the Gulf War in Iraq. An inner journey, an identity quest sublimated by her songs, bridging Europe and the Middle East.
Watch the trailer here
Leila Albayaty is a French-Iraqi multidisciplinary artist known for her work as a film director, composer, singer, actress, and scriptwriter. Born in Auvergne, France, to a French mother and an Iraqi father, she pursued studies in violin, opera, architecture, and cinema before forging her own path as a self-taught artist.
Her debut short film, Vu (2009), received a Special Mention from the Jury at the Berlinale and was showcased at numerous international film festivals. She followed with her first feature film, Berlin Telegram (2012), which premiered at Indielisboa and won the TV5 Award for Best Francophone Film. In 2015, she released Face B, a hybrid documentary-fiction that premiered at the Berlinale Forum Expanded.
Her latest film, From Abdul to Leila (2024), is a feature documentary that delves into the intersection of Western and Arab cultures through the lens of her French-Iraqi family history.
This event is part of a short series of documentary films on the theme of “In the Middle: Women Documenting Arab Struggles” produced by Maison Française and co-sponsored by the Center for Palestine Studies, MESAAS and Middle East Institute at Columbia University. Join us on February 14 for Bye Bye Tiberias by Lina Soualem, followed by a Q&A with Director Lina Soualem and Thomas Dodman. On March 6 for Sudan, Remember Us by Hind Meddeb, 2024, followed by a Q&A with director Hind Meddeb and Thomas Dodman. And on March 27, for the U.S. Premiere of From Abdul To Leila by Leila Albayaty.
