Transparent Evil

Synopsis



Late 2010

I get commissioned by Leica to follow in the footsteps of James Bruce and document the Nile river from Alexandria to Aswan. I invite my friend Gheith El-Amine to join me on this trip. It will be his first time in Egypt.



December 10, 2010

We make plans to leave on February 1, 2011. He contacts two Egyptian friends of his, and we're supposed to meet them as soon as we arrive there.



January 25, 2011

The revolution starts in Egypt. The only incoming images so far are made by protesters with cellular phones and uploaded on the net. They are much more efficient than the state-owned television station which is still doing the pro-regime propaganda in high definition resolution.



Cast & Crew

Director, Editing, Camera: Roy Samaha

Production Company: Independent / Funded by Leica AG

Producer: Jean-Jeaques Viau

Script, Cast: Roy Samaha, Gheith El-Amine



Year of Production: 2011

Running Time: 27:04

Country of Production: Germany / Lebanon



Original Language: Arabic / English

Subtitles: English



Roy Samaha is a Lebanese video artist and photographer born in Beirut and lives there. Since 2001 He has exhibited his videos in numerous film and contemporary art festivals. He also worked in the News and Broadcasting TV industry since 1998 until 2008. He got his Masters degree in film studies at USEK, Lebanon. Currently, he is giving seminars on alternative video practices in different universities in Beirut.



Residencies:

- September 2010 Resident Artist at Apex Art New York City.

- February 2011 Cairo Egypt, commissioned by Leica Camera.



Installation/Photography:

_ Following, a Week in Cairo 2011

_ On an Empty Mind (Still Life/Moving Death) 2009-2011

_ Missing Originals (Inheritance & Dispossession) 2008-2010



Videos:

_ Transparent Evil 2007-2011

_ Please Rewind Me Later 2007

_ Video For the End of Time 2006

_ Pink White Green Black: Noise/Silence insinuated 2004/2005

_ Untitled for Several Reasons 2002/2003



Festivals & Exhibitions (Selection):

• Né. à Beyrouth, 2nd edition of the Lebanese Film Festival, (Beirut) 2002

• Home Works 2, Forum on Cultural Practices (Beirut) 2002

• 27e Cinemed, Festival International Cinema Méditerranéen (Montpellier) 2003

• Middle Eastern Art Practice Forum: Disorientation (Berlin) 2003

• The 14th international Festival for Electronic Arts: Videobrazil (SaoPaolo) 2003

• Middle Eastern Experimental Film Festival: La Cinematheque, (Paris) 2004

• Never The Right Time (Vancouver), 2004

• Centre pour l'Image Contemporaine Saint-Gervais (Geneva) 2004

• “Most Probably I Will Be Performing This Dream Tonight” (Beirut) 2006

• Consciousness in Coma, (Istanbul) 2006

• 1st International Singapore Biennal (Singapore) 2006

• Sydney Arab Film Festival (Sydney) 2007

• Meeting Points 5 (organized by YATF) (Cairo/Amman/Berlin/Brussels) 2007

• Les Rencontres Internationales (Paris/Berlin/Madrid) 2007

• Videos from Lebanon, Beaver Group (New York) 2008

• Home Works 4, Forum on Cultural Practices (Beirut) 2008

• National Center for Contemporary arts (Moscow) 2009

• Cruel Weather, Peacock Visual Arts (Aberdeen) 2009

• On An Empty Mind, Espace Kettaneh-Kunigk (Beirut) 2010

• All About Beirut, White Box (Munich) 2010

• Selection, Espace Kettaneh-Kunigk (Beirut) 2010

• Rebirth, Beirut Exhibition Center (Beirut) 2011

• MENASA Art Fair, BIEL, (Beirut) 2011

• Roaming Images, 3rd Thessaloniki Biennale (Thessaloniki) 2011

• Paris Photo 2012, (Paris) 2011

• Breaking Points, Arab Film Festival (Aberdeen) 2011

• International Film Festival Rotterdam (Rotterdam) 2012

• Affinités, Déchirures & Attractions, Frac (Alsace) 2012