This Woman’s Work: Filming Defeat in the Arabic Idiom: Poetry, Cinema, and the Saving Grace of Hala Alabdallah

Abstract

The Arab world claims an increasing number of women filmmakers. Nevertheless, it is indeed surprising that Syria should claim barely a handful of women filmmakers considering that, in its discursive representation, the ideology of the Ba’ath¹ made a point to address inequities in the status of women in society. A cursory look at gender ratios, however, reveals unexpected results; in countries where state ideology and policy purport a commitment to redressing the gap between men and women, like Syria, Tunisia, and Algeria, the number of women filmmakers is notably low in comparison to their male counterparts. Conversely, in countries where women’s rights have not been a chief concern of the state or regime, but where society remains (relatively) open, tolerant, dynamic, and politically plural, like Palestine and Lebanon, the ratios come closer to being equal.