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HABIBI COLLECTIVE

An introduction to Palestinian women’s cinema by Habibi Collective

Featuring Mona Hatoum’s Measures of Distance, Emily Jacir’s Letter To A Friend, and Jumana Manna’s Wild Relatives

This piece was originally published on June 14, 2021

The 2021 Dazed 100 – part of Open To Change, a larger platform from Dazed and Converse aiming to carve out visibility for underrepresented voices – is all about spotlighting the cultural changemakers breaking new ground across the globe. It’s about platforming ideas that will enact radical change, and looking at what’s next for the creative industries too.

As part of the programme this year, five of the Dazed 100 cohort will explore their field, their practice and their hopes for the future in their own article for Dazed. From London-based musician cktrl to the groundbreaking South African magazine and agency Bubblegum Club. First up: Habibi Collective, an open source digital archive and curatorial platform celebrating women’s filmmaking from South-West Asia and North Africa.

Since 2018, Habibi Collective, which is operated by Assyrian Iraqi film programmer Róisín Tapponi, has been instrumental in circulating Palestinian women’s cinema. To discover and watch more films by women from South-West Asia and North Africa, check out Habibi Collective’s streaming service Shasha. The world’s first independent streaming service focusing on films from South-West Asia and North Africa, it was established by Tapponi in 2020. Here, they curate an introductory list to Palestinian women’s cinema, for a Western audience. 

“We stand in full solidarity and support with our Palestinian sisters” 

- Habibi Collective

Were Habibi Collective to win the Dazed 100 grant they’d throw a two-week summer film festival. The first film festival in London by and for women of colour, it would come as a natural extension to SHASHA, and would include film screenings, workshops, masterclasses, panel talks and parties across London.

Explore the full 2021 Dazed 100, in partnership with Converse, and cast your vote now – and stay tuned for the winners announcement.