Greetings after a few months of quiet.

I’ve been in and out of Dubai for the past few months, attending film festivals or just catching up on old and new films in some of my favourite cities, working on completing a photo and video project, and also trying to make sense of the current state of the world which feels very bleak.

I was also mostly off social media since June, but now slowly getting back to it, although a lot of what I like about social media is being chipped away by very unlikeable people and organisations.
I’m not ready to quit it yet, but maybe be more selective on what I post and what I want to see.

But I have been quietly posting on my blog, so if you haven’t visited The Culturist recently, you can read posts from the past few months here, and expect new additions in the coming weeks.

Also, I am STILL working on creating a centralised mailing list and to schedule a monthly/bi-montly newsletter.
So far this is the 3rd edition of my “work-in-progress” newsletter that I started in February, and now that it is November, I’m aiming / hoping I can complete this pending item on my very long to-do list before the year ends.

For now, I’d like to share an upcoming event I’m hosting, and a few recommendations.


Above image: Film still from Terra Femme (Courtney Stephens)

The Culturist Film Club
Saturday, November 9

The next edition of my film club will be slightly different, I will present a film about home movies and travelogues made by women, and the post screening film discussion will include a reading and a talk about a book about travel writing by women.
This event is in collaboration with with Kutubna Cultural Center and Tamreez Inam (writer, literary consultant and curator).

Widely Travelled Women, Home Movies and Travelogues 
Film Screening + Book Discussion Presented By
The Culturist Film Club and Tamreez Inam

Terra Femme (Courtney Stephens, 2021, USA, English, 62 min, PG-15)
An essay film comprised of amateur travelogues filmed by women in the 1920s-1950s. The films present a new type of traveler: no longer a male seeker of conquests, she might be a divorcee on a tour of biblical gardens, or a widow on a cruise to the North Pole.

Representing the world through women’s eyes, the films raise questions about female representation in the archive, the role of amateurism in early non-fiction filmmaking, and the politics of the Western gaze. 

The screening will be followed by a discussion between Hind Mezaina and Tamreez Inam about the film and the book Three Centuries of Travel Writing by Muslim Women (edited by Siobhan Lambert-Hurley, Daniel Majchrowicz, and Sunil Sharma) featuring a collection of translated travel writings from the 17th to 20th century by Muslim women as they travelled for religious pilgrimage, political reasons, education, and for leisure.

“When thinking of intrepid travelers from past centuries, we don't usually put Muslim women at the top of the list. And yet, the stunning firsthand accounts in this collection completely upend preconceived notions of who was exploring the world.”

Date: Saturday, November 9 at 6.30pm
Location: Kutubna Cultural Center, Madina Avenues, Nadd Al Hamar, Dubai. Free parking available. 
Ticket: AED 60
(A limited number of free tickets are available for those who are unable to buy one. If interested, please contact info@kutubna.ae)

Recommendations

Open call:
Night School 2025 - Lifelines
The 4th edition of Night School led by Todd Reisz will take place in January 2025 at Jameel Arts Centre.

At Night School, we will consider taking time as requisite for taking care: of a place, of an object, and of life around us. We will meet with thinkers and practitioners who reveal the lifelines that run through our workaday lives and render the city we inhabit.

There’s an open call to attend a closed group four-week seminar course, and there will also be public events throughout the month.
If you’re interested in being part of the closed group seminar, apply here. (The current Nov 4 deadline will be extended to mid-November.)
I’ve also been invited back to work on a film programme for one of the public events, so watch this space.

Artist Talk:
Her Right: A Conversation with Artist Saodat Ismailova, The Art Gallery Reading Room, NYUAD Art Gallery on November 5 at 6.30pm.

Exhibitions:
Ayesha Sultana: Fragility and Resilience, Ishara Art Foundation, Dubai. Ends on December 7.
William Kentridge: A Shadow of a Shadow, Bait Al Serkal, Arts Square, Sharjah. Ends on December 8.