LitFilm 2024: Write Down, I am an Arab
Documentary, dir. by Ibtisam Maraana
U.S., 2014, 72 min
“Write Down, I am an Arab” tells the story of Mahmoud Darwish, the Palestinian national poet and one of the most influential writers of the Arab world. His writing shaped Palestinian identity and helped galvanize generations of Palestinians to their cause. Born in the Galilee, Darwish’s family fled during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War and returned to a ruined homeland. Like other Palestinian citizens of Israel at the time, Mahmoud Darwish grew up under military law that prevented freedom of movement. In 1964 his defiant poem, “Write Down, I am an Arab”, sent him to prison, turning him into an icon of the Arab world. Darwish leaves Israel, moving to Beirut just before the outbreak of the civil war, where he connects with the PLO and becomes speech writer and confidant to Yasir Arafat. He returns to Palestine in 1995 after years of exile and continues to be the biting and powerful voice of the Palestinian people until his death in 2008.
All screenings are free but require reservations. Times subject to change. For the full LitFilm roster, go here.
LitFilm: A BPL Film Festival About Writers is made possible with support from BPL’s Fund for the Humanities. BPL Presents programs are made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.
Documentary, dir. by Ibtisam Maraana
U.S., 2014, 72 min
“Write Down, I am an Arab” tells the story of Mahmoud Darwish, the Palestinian national poet and one of the most influential writers of the Arab world. His writing shaped Palestinian identity and helped galvanize generations of Palestinians to their cause. Born in the Galilee, Darwish’s family fled during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War and returned to a ruined homeland. Like other Palestinian citizens of Israel at the time, Mahmoud Darwish grew up under military law that prevented freedom of movement. In 1964 his defiant poem, “Write Down, I am an Arab”, sent him to prison, turning him into an icon of the Arab world. Darwish leaves Israel, moving to Beirut just before the outbreak of the civil war, where he connects with the PLO and becomes speech writer and confidant to Yasir Arafat. He returns to Palestine in 1995 after years of exile and continues to be the biting and powerful voice of the Palestinian people until his death in 2008.
All screenings are free but require reservations. Times subject to change. For the full LitFilm roster, go here.
Brooklyn Public Library - Central Library, Dweck Center MM/DD/YYYY 60