Image still: Sira (Rolla Tahir, 2018)

The "Nahda Film Lab" is an annual professional development initiative dedicated to bringing film learning to Arab-Canadian creatives and emerging filmmakers. If you would like to support this initiative, please consider donating.
This year through the generous support of Soulpepper Theatre Company, we are able to offer this workshop free of charge.

Diary Films in the Diaspora

The Toronto Arab Film's Shabaka presents this year's edition of Nahda Film Lab. This year's Lab is made possible by the generous support of Soulpepper Theatre Company.

A two part workshop taught by Kamal El-Riahi and Rolla Tahir
- November 5: Part One, with Kamal El-Riahi
- November 6: Part Two, with Rolla Tahir

Diary films, also known as self-documentary, essay or personal films, have a rich history within experimental cinema and specifically within diasporas. In this two-part workshop, we will discuss the art of creating diary films. In part one, with Kamal Riahi, we will examine the art of writing about the self, and in part two with Rolla Tahir, participants will look at and discuss visual examples and create a 3-minute diary film on Super8.

This is an introductory workshop and is meant primarily for emerging filmmakers but is open to all. No prior knowledge of Super8 is required.

This is an in-person workshop, which will be held at Soulpepper Theatre Company in Toronto.
Address: 50 Tank House Lane, Toronto, ON M5A 3C4

Important Note:
- Part One will be taught exclusively in Arabic. Comprehension of and communication in Arabic is a must.
- Part Two will be taught in English.

* Limited spaces available.
* You can register for the workshops separately, priority will be given to those participating in both
parts.

* APPLY HERE *
Kamal Riahi is a novelist, critic and founder of Beit al-Riwaya in Tunisia. He has been a regular contributor to Arab and international cultural media since the 1990s. He has led many workshops in creative, journalistic and critical writing in Tunisia and the Arab world.
Rolla Tahir is a filmmaker and director of photography based in Toronto. She’s lensed short, narrative and experimental films, which screened across Canada and internationally, including the UK, Germany, and the United States. Obsessed with the durability, longevity and spontaneity of the analog film medium, Rolla has worked with Super 8, 16mm and 35mm to explore the analog process and its possibilities.