Tewfik Saleh | Syria | 1972 | 107 min | In Arabic with English subtitles
Based on Ghassan Kanafani's short story "Men in the Sun”, The Dupes is Tewfik Saleh's masterpiece that traces the destinies of 3 Palestinian refugees brought together by dispossession, distress and the hope of a better future. Concealed inside the steel tank of a truck, three men attempt to cross the border from Iraq into Kuwait. Each one carries a different fragment of the Palestinian experience and believes he can begin again. But as the title implies, escape is no answer. Filmed in Syria by Egyptian director Tewfik Saleh, and set between Palestine and Iraq, the film remains a timeless and timely reflection on the displacement of Palestinians in the aftermath of Nakba.
The film will be screened in its restored version, completed in 2023 with the collaboration of the Film foundation’s World Cinema Project and Cineteca di Bologna, in collaboration with the National Film Organization and the family of Tewfik Saleh. Special thanks to Nadi Lekol Nas and Mohamed Challouf for their invaluable contribution to the process.
Tewfik Saleh (1926–2013) was a pioneering voice in Egyptian realist cinema who is deeply committed to addressing issues of class struggle and social injustice. While not prolific, his few films—including Fools’ Alley (Darb el Mahâbîl) and The Diary of a Country Prosecutor (Yawmiyyât Nâ’ib fi-l-Aryâf)—are considered landmarks of Egyptian cinema. The Dupes, which won six international awards including the Tanit d’Or at Carthage, stands as one of the most powerful works of Arab cinema.
Nadi Lekol Nas is a non-profit association based in Beirut that aims to create a collective memory through various cultural events organized in Lebanon and abroad. The association also works on restoring and distributing local and Arab cinematic films and traditional music, including independent alternative productions or those marginalized and threatened with extinction. On its 25th anniversary, the Nadi Lekol Nas moved to the Safir building in Hamra, where it established a library containing a paper, audio, and visual archive making it accessible to researchers, students, and the general public.
/// Please note that our library has limited seats and we work on a first-come, first-served basis. Doors open at 6:30PM and the screening starts at 7:00 PM or earlier in case the space reaches its full capacity. Thank you for understanding and see you on Sunday!///
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