We are honored and thrilled to present a special screening of legendary Lebanese feminist filmmaker Heiny Srour’s Leila and the Wolves (1984), followed by a conversation with the filmmaker, moderated by ArteEast.A major work of Arab cinema, Leila and the Wolves blends fictional drama, archival footage, and fantasy sequences. The film follows a young Lebanese woman in modern London as she time-travels through the 20th century, witnessing the role of Arab women in social struggles and anti-colonial movements in Lebanon and Palestine.
About the Filmmaker
Born in Beirut in 1945, Lebanese filmmaker Heiny Srour studied Sociology at the French University of Beirut before pursuing Social Anthropology at the Sorbonne in Paris. During this time, she was deeply influenced by the ethnographic films of Jean Rouch, which sparked her interest in filmmaking. While working as a journalist and film critic, she became drawn to Third World cinema and the role of Arab women in revolutionary movements.
Throughout her career, Srour has used film as a powerful tool to explore themes of resistance and liberation for women across the Middle East. Her groundbreaking documentary The Hour of Liberation Has Arrived (1974) was selected for the Cannes Film Festival, making her the first Arab woman filmmaker to receive international recognition.
Co-presented with BAM and Several Futures
