Sira - Songs of the Crescent Moon
SIRA – WENN DER HALBMOND SPRICHT
dir. Sandra Gysi & Ahmed Abdel Mohsen, Switzerland, 2011, 77 mins
Section:
Screening times
May 12 15:00, Kinoteka 4
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Synopsis

The film describes how traditions and modernity struggle in today’s Egypt – and how a society is looking for its heroes, in the past and in the present.

80-year-old Sayyed el-Dawwy is the last living interpreter of the Sira, the most significant Arabian epic poem. He is the only one who knows by heart its 5 million verses. And only he keeps the stories about the people of the crescent moon alive. Now, he wants to pass the knowledge of the Sira down on to his grandson Ramadan, just as it has been passed down by word of mouth for generations.

The film follows them touring Egypt for their concerts. And while Sayyed wants to teach the Sira to his grandson the way he knows and loves it, Ramadan is more interested in modern interpretations of the Sira, influenced by Pop music and soap operas.

In the struggle of generations over the meaning of the Sira, the picture emerges of a world caught between tradition and modernity. A world in search for its respective heroes – in the past as well as in the present.

Makers

Zdjęcia/Cinematography by: Peter Liechti, Ahmed Abdel Mohsen, Sandra Gysi
Producent/Produced by: Franziska Reck

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