The Culturist Film Club #4: India Song
The fourth edition of The Culturist Film Club is scheduled to take place on Tuesday, March 7 March 21 at Alliance Francaise in Dubai, with the screening of Marguerite Duras‘ India Song.
It’s a film I’ve been wanting to watch in a cinema for a long time, and I’m glad to finally get a chance to do so. If you are not familiar with Marguerite Duras (1914-1996), this profile in The New Yorker from 2017 is a good start.
The screening will be followed by a discussion between Hind Mezaina and filmmaker, scholar, film curator Dr Nezar Andary.
If in Dubai, please join us.
Date and time: Tuesday, March 21 at 7.30pm.
Ticket: AED 35 (Free for members). Book online.
Location: Alliance Francaise, Dubai (location map)
About the film:
India Song
Director: Marguerite Duras
1975, 120 min, Drama, France, French with English subtitles, 18+
Based on an unproduced play by Duras, INDIA SONG is a haunting portrait of French colonialism in decline and one of the writer-director’s signature films. César nominee Delphine Seyrig stars as Anne-Marie Stretter, whose ambassador husband turns a blind eye to her many affairs – though the affection of a disgraced Vice-Consul (Michael Lonsdale) threatens the status quo. Set in 1930s Calcutta, much of the film was shot near Paris at the Château Rothschild, which was then in a state of disrepair that suited the film’s themes perfectly.
About Dr Nezar Andary
Dr. Andary is filmmaker, scholar, and film curator. His award winning film, Unlocking Doors of Cinema screened in over 20 festivals. Until 2020, he taught literature and humanities at Zayed University in Abu Dhabi where he was a Dean of Research and Outreach. Recently, curated the film program Oasis (Paradox) in 2022 and he is widely published and currently co-edits a books series for Palgrave on Arab Cinema. He also directed a documentary theatre play, entitled Memories of Childhood Currently, he is working on a film project titled No Barking and working as creative executive with Arab Film Studio documentary program.