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"Maria’s Grotto" (Mazare Mariya)

Director: Buthina Canaan Khoury
Scriptwriters: Buthina Canaan Khoury
Director of Photography: Buthina Canaan Khoury
Editor: Saed Andoni
Music: Wasim Qassis
Producer: Buthina Canaan Khoury ,Multicanal
Founders: RTBF, SDC, Unifem
Color, 52 min, Digital Beta, Palestine, 2007

   
SYNOPSIS:

A gripping portrait of women, whose lives were dictated by moral codes, “Maria's Grotto” is about the issue of honor killings in Palestine. Khoury explores the issue through the stories of four women:
one is wrongly accused of dishonoring her family and then murdered; the second dies after being forced by her brothers to swallow poison; the third survives repeated stabbings inflicted by her brother; the fourth is a Hip-hop singer who dares to speak out about honor killings, and faces death threats. Through these stories, Khoury exposes the magnitude of honor killings in Palestine. Honor killings, are a facet of the Arab world that have become more prevalent in society. But through this problem in the society you have a very honest picture of Palestinian life and people like any where else in the world.
 

 BIOGRAPHY:  

Buthina Canaan Khoury is a Palestinian independent filmmaker who established Majd Production Company in Ramallah city in 2000. The company's main objective is to produce documentaries about various crucial Palestinian issues, focusing on women's social and political problems. Khoury received her Bachelor degree in Filmmaking and Photography from the Massachusetts College of Fine Arts in Boston. She was assistant director in many films before making her first documentary “Women in Struggle” (2004) which was co-produced with Lichtpunt in Belgium and Medea Fund and was awarded four prizes and translated into seven languages. “Maria’s Grotto” is her second documentary.

FILMOGRAPHY

Documentary:    

  •  “Women in Struggle”       56 min      2004
  •  “Maria’s Grotto”               52 min      2007
     

FESTIVALS:

  1.  Dubai Int’l Film Festival (9 – 16 Dec 2007/ UAE) Silver Muhr Award for the doc
  2.  Sguardi Altrov Int’l Film Festival (29 Feb – 9 March 2008/ Italy)
  3.  Thessaloniki Doc Film Festival (6 – 16 March 2008/ Greece)
  4.  Doc a Tunis (4 – 9 April 2008/ Tunis)
  5.  Laayoune Int’l Film Festival (4 – 8 June 2008/ Morocco)
  6.  Encountres South African Doc Film Festival (13 July – 5 August 2007/ South Africa)
  7.  Arab Film Festival in Netherlands (18 – 22 June 2008/ Netherlands)
     Winner of Golden Hawk for the best short documentary
  8.  Institut du Mondo Arab (17 – 21 Sep 2008/ France)
  9.  Argenmex Film Festival (18 – 26 Oct. 2008 / Mexico)
  10.  Toronto Palestinian F.F. (24 Oct. – 1 Nov. 2008/ Canada)
  11.  Leipzig Doc Film Festival (27 Oct. – 2 Nov. 2008/ Germany)
  12.  Mar del Plate Int'l F.F. (6 – 16 Nov. 2008/ Argentina)
  13.  Festival Do Rio (25 Sept. – 9 Oct. 2008/ Brazil)
  14.  Sao Paulo Int’l F.F. (17 – 30 Oct. 2008 / Brazil)

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