ARTEEAST Events - Arts and Cultures of the Middle East and its diasporas

CinemaEast Film Detail:

The Chickens
(al-Dajaj) by Omar Amiralay (Syria, 1977, 40 minutes, B&W, DigiBeta PAL and DV-Cam NTSC))

Synopsis
Produced by Syrian television, this film remains banned in Syria. The inhabitants of Sadad, a village in the Syrian countryside are seduced by promises that chicken farming will make them rich. After they abandon their usual activities, their investment turns to disaster under the watchful gaze of government officials driving Mercedes cars. Under the guise of documenting chicken farms, the filmmaker delivers a scathing critique of his government, and foretells the massive failure of its policies which have brought poverty and hunger to its people. The original print has been restored and digitized, and subtitled in English especially for this program.

Credits
Conception: Omar Amiralay
Directed by: Omar Amiralay
Cinematography: Hazem Baya’a
Editing : Antoinette Azriyeh
Production: Syrian Television