Satwa Stories
Encyclopedia
Satwa Stories is a critically acclaimed spoken word piece/ photo-novella that was created and produced by Mahmoud Kaabour
and Denise Holloway. It was presented at Pecha Kucha
in June 2008 at The Third Line Gallery in al Quoz
in Dubai
, United Arab Emirates
.
The project is a poetic exploration of the hidden gems and iconic characters of the al Satwa
neighborhood in Dubai. It is a sequence of 20 artistic photographs, overlaid with a spoken word performance by Mahmoud Kaabour
and live music. In the words of Kaabour, it is “a form of celebratory archive before Satwa gets buried. There is no shame in progress, but it’s important to keep track of the cycle of development, whether its through architecture or photographic records.”
During the heavy publicity generated by Satwa Stories, the filmmakers of Veritas Films
announced that they were developing the concept further through an original television
series entitled My Neighborhood, which explores Dubai neighborhood by neighborhood through documentary film encounters to tell the stories of the real people who live and work in the city. The series is currently in development.
, a production company based in the United Arab Emirates
. Denise Holloway is a Canadian film-maker who has been based in Dubai since 2003. The project was made possible with the collaboration of photographer Siddharth Siva and double-bassist Nabil Amarshi.
Pecha Kucha Night was a format conceived by Tokyo architects Astrid Klein and Mark Dytham. It is a forum for creative public exhibition which is replicated globally in approximately a hundred cities.
Mahmoud Kaabour
Mahmoud Kaabour is a multi award-winning filmmaker, writer, and lecturer from Beirut.- Education & occupation :Mahmoud graduated with distinction from the Mel Oppenheim School of Cinema in Montreal, after which he pursued a documentary focus at the National Film Board of Canada and the newsroom at...
and Denise Holloway. It was presented at Pecha Kucha
Pecha Kucha
Pecha Kucha is a presentation methodology in which 20 slides are shown for 20 seconds each, usually seen in a multiple-speaker event called a Pecha Kucha Night ....
in June 2008 at The Third Line Gallery in al Quoz
Al Quoz
Al Quoz , or Al Goze, is a locality in Dubai, United Arab Emirates . Al Quoz is located in western Dubai. It is bordered to the north by Al Wasl and to the west by Umm Al Sheif, Al Manara and Al Safa...
in Dubai
Dubai
Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...
, United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates, abbreviated as the UAE, or shortened to "the Emirates", is a state situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman, and Saudi Arabia, and sharing sea borders with Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Iran.The UAE is a...
.
The project is a poetic exploration of the hidden gems and iconic characters of the al Satwa
Al Satwa
Al Satwa is a community in Dubai, United Arab Emirates comprising high-density retail outlets and private residential dwellings. It is located southwest of Bur Dubai and adjacent to Sheikh Zayed Road. Originally, its residents were mainly of the Bloushi tribe. Notable features include the Iranian...
neighborhood in Dubai. It is a sequence of 20 artistic photographs, overlaid with a spoken word performance by Mahmoud Kaabour
Mahmoud Kaabour
Mahmoud Kaabour is a multi award-winning filmmaker, writer, and lecturer from Beirut.- Education & occupation :Mahmoud graduated with distinction from the Mel Oppenheim School of Cinema in Montreal, after which he pursued a documentary focus at the National Film Board of Canada and the newsroom at...
and live music. In the words of Kaabour, it is “a form of celebratory archive before Satwa gets buried. There is no shame in progress, but it’s important to keep track of the cycle of development, whether its through architecture or photographic records.”
During the heavy publicity generated by Satwa Stories, the filmmakers of Veritas Films
Veritas Films
Veritas Films is a filmmaking company based in the United Arab Emirates. It creates cultural and corporate non-fiction content, including corporate films, short and feature-length documentaries, TV programming, and virals, in both English and Arabic....
announced that they were developing the concept further through an original television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
series entitled My Neighborhood, which explores Dubai neighborhood by neighborhood through documentary film encounters to tell the stories of the real people who live and work in the city. The series is currently in development.
Artists
Mahmoud Kaabour is the founder and managing director of Veritas FilmsVeritas Films
Veritas Films is a filmmaking company based in the United Arab Emirates. It creates cultural and corporate non-fiction content, including corporate films, short and feature-length documentaries, TV programming, and virals, in both English and Arabic....
, a production company based in the United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates, abbreviated as the UAE, or shortened to "the Emirates", is a state situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman, and Saudi Arabia, and sharing sea borders with Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Iran.The UAE is a...
. Denise Holloway is a Canadian film-maker who has been based in Dubai since 2003. The project was made possible with the collaboration of photographer Siddharth Siva and double-bassist Nabil Amarshi.
Pecha Kucha Night was a format conceived by Tokyo architects Astrid Klein and Mark Dytham. It is a forum for creative public exhibition which is replicated globally in approximately a hundred cities.