The Dam + Q&A Ali Cherri
After the screening of The Dam, the magical realist feature film debut by artist Ali Cherri about a mason's mysterious desert project in northern Sudan, there will be a Q&A with director Cherri. In collaboration with Bonnefanten.
About Ali Cherri
Bonnefanten's exhibition DREAM ON, now running, includes the work OF MEN AND GODS AN MUD (2022). THE DAM (2022) is in fact the feature film version of this video installation. The exhibition features two more mud sculptures by Cherri, which are thematically consistent with both the film and the video work. These sculptures do not share a direct storyline with the film, but are part of the same investigation. They explore mythical figures and offer a reflection on the contemporary geopolitical situation by interpreting mythology in a new way. This use of mud and mythological imagery can also be seen in THE DAM.
The film will be introduced by Roxy Jongewaard, junior curator at Bonnefanten. After the screening of the film, Jongewaard will engage in a conversation with Ali Cherri.
The Dam - English subtitled + Q&A Ali Cherri
Magical realist feature film debut by artist Ali Cherri about a mason's mysterious desert project in northern Sudan.
Sudan, near the Merowe Dam. Maher works in a traditional brickyard fed by the waters of the Nile. He sneaks out into the desert every night to build a mysterious structure made of mud. As the Sudanese people rise up to demand their freedom, his creation slowly begins to take on a life of its own.
The script of this bold political fable was developed in collaboration with two French heavyweights: screenwriter Geoffroy Grison and director Bertrand Bonello, known for THE BEAST, among other films. THE DAM premiered at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival. Besides directing films, Parisian Ali Cherri works on visual art. His work OF MEN AND GODS AND MUD, which is also about the Sudan dam, has been acquired by Bonnefanten.