The words of American writer Bell Hooks — “Revolution begins within and with the self” — perfectly describe the journey of Yemeni journalist and activist Samah Al-Shughdari. Her revolution began in the protest squares of Sana’a in 2011 and continues to this day, holding fast to its values of resistance to violence and sectarianism, albeit through a different path. As an extension of that revolution, Samah launched the “Sawt Cinema” initiative in November 2015 — a cultural movement that emerged a few months
after the war erupted, aiming to criticize the conflict and shed light on its devastating impact.
According to a UN report, at least 10,000 people have been killed in the Yemen conflict. So who would believe that a cinema could open its doors amidst such death and destruction?
The Voice of Youth
Sawt Cinema follows a do-it-yourself (DIY) model and holds weekly screenings at a café in the Yemeni capital, Sana’a. Entry is free. The screenings feature films and documentaries that deal with human suffering in war — themes such as sectarianism, child recruitment, and the urgent need for coexistence and peace.
In its first phase, the project screened 20 films, and in the second, 13 films — a mix of local, Arab, and international
productions. For example, Lebanon’s “Where Do We Go Now?” (2011) was shown to highlight women’s role in confronting sectarianism. The audience also watched the American film Rosewater (2014), which touches on dictatorship and enforced disappearance. From Yemen, “The Lost Bet” (2008) was screened, which explores terrorism and the reasons young people are drawn to extremist movements.
Despite the complete absence of cinemas in Yemen, the worsening violence and humanitarian crisis, and severe restrictions on freedom during wartime, Samah and her team at Sawt Foundation pushed forward with the initiative.
“Sawt Cinema is our way of resisting — all of us,” Samah says.
“Not even the bombings stopped us, nor the audience’s fear. Sometimes we would show films while the building literally
shook from an airstrike next door.”
Samah refuses to take individual credit for the initiative, emphasizing:
“Sawt Cinema is the result of collective efforts from the team and the audience. We were all determined to make it work, despite the extremely difficult conditions.”
The primary goal of Sawt Cinema is to offer an outlet for people living under the trauma of war. But the polarized political climate in Yemen remains one of the biggest challenges the team faces.
Samid Al-Samie, the project’s media officer, explains:
“To avoid political bias and its consequences, we made a conscious decision from the start — the initiative would be funded only by neutral, nonprofit international organizations, such as the Dutch Cultural Mission in Yemen. We refused funding from any party to the
conflict.”
Samah adds:
“It was crucial for the initiative to attract all political factions without discrimination — that’s the only way we could achieve our goals.”
Sawt Cinema has also faced repression. In the most recent report by Reporters Without Borders, the Houthi group in Yemen was ranked the world’s second-worst oppressor of press freedom, after ISIS.
Although Sawt Cinema has not received direct threats, it has faced harassment and ridicule.
“We’ve been mocked for being neutral,” Samid says.
“Some say neutrality in these times is complicity. We try to respond politely and avoid provoking anyone. Fortunately, we also get a lot of support on social media —
that visibility protects us to some extent.”
However, this visibility was not enough to protect Asaad Al-Imad, a cinematographer and team member, who was arrested by the Houthis because of his independent journalistic work outside the initiative.
A Culture Without Funding
Despite its past success, Sawt Cinema is now going through a critical phase of stagnation due to the lack of financial support needed to launch its third phase — one that aims to continue using cinema as a tool for promoting peace and coexistence.
When we first spoke to Samah at the end of last year, she was hopeful that funders would respond positively. Instead, she was disappointed. This time, donors saw Yemen as too dangerous, and the idea of supporting a cinema project seemed unrealistic.
The team felt sadness and frustration — seeing it as another sign of international failure toward Yemen.
“Funders told us that cultural work is not a priority right now,” Samah recalls.
“They said funding will go only to human rights, governance, and environmental issues.”
The Sawt Cinema team found this dismissal of cultural efforts deeply troubling. To them, this initiative is a tool for promoting peace. Yemeni researcher and Sawt Cinema attendee Wameedh Shakir shares their sentiment:
“If cinema isn’t a priority during war, then what is?
More war coverage? More pictures of the dead and wounded? More sounds of rockets and drones?
Don’t give them everything — create spaces for cinema, theatre, poetry, and
song.
Maybe the war will get tired and leave.”
War, humanitarian disaster, and intense political polarization — none of it has stopped the Sawt Cinema team. These challenges became motivation to persist.
Now that funding has dried up, the team is exploring ways to continue with the third phase in collaboration with local organizations. They are also considering a new strategy — including greater volunteer participation and allowing the audience to help select the films.
They remain hopeful that the screenings will resume soon, proving that Sawt Cinema is a symbol of resistance and social responsibility during wartime — sustained by the will of its people and the support of local partners.
Source: Afrah Nasser, Raseef22, February 12, 2017
