Rawy Pop-Up Cinema: What we remember…

“What We Remember,” is a program of short films that explores the intricate nature of memory and how it defines our identity, connects us to our past, and shapes our present.

Letters explores how memories and reality intertwine for Yasser as he copes with a significant absence. Against Forgetting is a testament to memory as an act of cultural preservation, following four individuals in Diyarbakir who are devoted to preserving Kurdish culture amidst political turmoil. Khaled & Nema uses memory as a key to survival, as a young boy and his goat race to help an elderly man regain his lost memories to save their village from demolition. In Bitter Greens, Tangled Roots, memory becomes a source of both bitterness and connection, as a conversation between a brother and sister tackles the pain of being uprooted from the olive trees that held their family’s inherited memories.

Unspoken Emotions: Mai’s Story shows memory as a tool for healing and self-discovery, as Mai revisits a violent moment from her past by directing a re-enactment, transforming private trauma into a moment of personal revelation. The experimental film Father Never Approved My Toys offers a look at a child’s imagination as a powerful form of memory, combining archival footage and animation to capture the world through a child’s eyes. Finally, Sensitive Strings explores the memory of a passionate life, as a retired musician takes the stage one last time to reclaim a part of his identity. Each of these films delves into memory not just as a recollection of events, but as a living force that influences our actions, our relationships, and our very sense of self.

Film Program:

(Letters) جوابات

Ali Ahmed, Sudan 2024, 8 min. Fiction, Arabic with English subtitles

(Against Forgetting) Dijî Jibîrkirinê

Azad Azizyan, Kurdistan & United States 2024, 22 mins. Documentary, Kurdish with English subtitles

(Khaled and Nema) خالد و نعمة

Sohail Dahdal, Palestine 2024, 18 mins. Fiction, Arabic with English subtitles

(Bitter Greens, Tangled Roots) مرارة الزيتون

Abdallah Dannaoui, United Kingdom, Morocco, Lebanon 2024, 20 mins. Documentary, Arabic with English subtitles

(Unspoken Emotions: Mai’s story) مشاعر مخفية قصة مي

Mark Henien, Egypt  2025, 11 mins. Documentary, Arabic with English subtitles

(Father Never Approved My Toys) أبي لم يحب ابدا لعبي

Maysoon Abdelghany, Egypt 2024, 8 mins. Experimental, Arabic with English subtitles

(Sensitive strings) عالوتر الحساس

Amal Ghamloush, UK 2025, 4 mins. Animation, No Dialogue

About Rawy:

Rawy Films is a Berlin based collective of passionate filmmakers and cinephiles on a mission to cultivate a community around independent SWANA (Southwest Asia and North Africa) films. We aim at scouting raw talents and untold stories, bringing them to life on the big screen through curating Pop-up Cinema events in iconic arthouse cinemas internationally and regionally. We aim at bridging  cultures by introducing international audiences to SWANA films and amplifying the reach of regional filmmakers.