Le cadeau, followed by The Colour of Pomegranates

Screening

19.09.23 | 19h
FR, AR
Adults

Duration: 3h30

Place: Cinematek

Two film screenings: a documentary on the journey towards the practice of the Youyou, and the work of an 18th century Armenian poet.

Each film can be viewed separately.

19h – Le Cadeau

We follow four women along a path which leads them towards the practice of the Youyou or the Zagharit, a cry of joy and emotion practiced by women in North Africa and the Middle East.

This kind of chant is a metaphor for a voice that breaks, creaks, and trembles at the intersection between virtuosity and vulnerability. In this documentary, their stories culminate in a collective performance by the Brussels Youyou group. From the rooftops of Brussels, their powerful voices cast their song over the city like a spell.

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Director: Myriam van Imschoot
Diration: 48’
Language: Arabic/Français

TW Le Cadeau : mention of sexual violence

21h – The Colour of Pomegranates

Using visual poetry instead of dialogue, The Colour of Pomegranates explores the life and work of the poet Sayat Nova. Sayat Nova was an 18th century Armenian troubadour who is revered still today for his profound influence on Armenian, Russian, and European poets from the 20th century onwards.
Fragments of the poet’s life are reanimated, from his childhood amongst books, his first teenage romances, right up to his exile. This is not a narrative as such, but a series of painting, somewhere between contemplation and surrealism, flashes of poetry and some of mystery, intertwined with the art and splendours of his country.

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Date of initial release: October 1969
Director: Sergueï Paradjanov
Sceenplay: Sergueï Paradjanov
Languages: Géorgien, Arménien, Azerbaïdjanais
Duration: 1h19

Presented in collaboration with the Service de Culture Cinématographique.

Myriam Van Imschoot

Myriam Van Imschoot is a performance artist from Brussels who has been making films since 2013. She is fascinated by voices, harmonies and the various vocal techniques employed in communication at distance. Youyous (French) or Zagharit (Arabic), long, distinct shouts of joy hold a special place in her work. These high-pitched, modulated sounds are used by women from North Africa, the Middle East, sub-Saharan Africa, and the Basque Country to express joy and other strong emotions. She has set up Youyou groups in Brussels, Jaffa, Grenoble, and Ostend. In these groups, she offers vocal performances in theatres, parks, squares, or on the beach. The central theme is always the cultural frontier between what is audible and what is inaudible.