Fiction Under Siege: Questioning Narration in the Omnipotence of the Real

What place do fiction and narrative still hold today in the face of the omnipotence of reality? What place remains for the fictive, fictional image within the incessant flood of images of every kind—and, today even more, in the face of the consent to a “current” genocide in Gaza? This two-day seminar proposes a reflection on this extreme fragility. Drawing on philosophy, literature, and cinema, we will attempt to question the capacities of fiction to still unsettle, disturb, and open cracks within this flood, within this terrible omnipotence.

Bio

Ghassan Salhab was born in Dakar, Senegal, in 1958. In addition to making his own films, he collaborates on various scenarios and teaches film in Lebanon. He has directed 9 full-length films: Beyrouth Fantôme, Terra Incognita, The Last Man, 1958, The Mountain, The Valley, An open Rose/Warda, The River, and Contretemps/Day is Night, in addition to numerous “essays”, including (Posthumous), Chinese Ink, Son Image, Le voyage immobile, with Mohamed Soueid, and recently No Title. His work has been the focus of special programs at La Rochelle International Film Festival, JCC Carthage, La Cinémathèque du Québec, Festival internacional de cine Guanajuato, Cinéma Saint-André des Arts in Paris and le Cinéma du Réel. He has also published different texts and articles in various magazines, and two books: Fragments du Livre du Naufrage and A Contre-jour.

This seminar is open to graduate and postgraduate students and the general public. Please write an email to phildoc@fcsh.unl.pt if you would like to attend. Registration is mandatory, as places are limited.

Part of the “Frames of Palestine” series, this event is organised by the research group “Thinking Documentary Film” (CineLab/IFILNOVA), in collaboration with CRIA. The event is free and open to all.