Lesung | Östlich des Mittelmeers

In his novel East of the Mediterranean, Abdalrachman Munif tells the story of political imprisonment from two perspectives: from the point of view of the 30-year-old protagonist Radjab and his older sister Anîssa.

Sentenced to eleven years in prison, Rajab has withstood torture for years. But finally - his mother has died and the woman he loves has left him - he breaks down and is prepared to sign a kind of recantation. He is then given permission to go to France for treatment of the serious illness he contracted in prison. But even this is only on the condition that he returns within a certain time and spies on fellow countrymen during his stay in France. As soon as he is released, he regrets his "betrayal" and is ashamed of his "failure". In France, he decides to write down his memories and publicize the human rights violations in his home country. But the political reality - of a country east of the Mediterranean - also catches up with him in Europe.

The film will be read by author and filmmaker Mohamed Nabil and singer and actress Melanie Stahlkopf.

The reading will be held in two languages.

Abdalrachman Munif is one of the best-known Arab writers of the 20th century. He worked as an oil expert for a long time and his works reflect the social, political and economic realities of modern Arab society.

Mohamed Nabil is a German-Moroccan author, filmmaker and curator based in Berlin. His documentaries deal with the situation of women in difficult situations, such as Silent Cells about women in prison or Jewels of grief about unmarried mothers in Morocco. As a curator, Mohamed Nabil organizes intercultural events with a focus on the relationship and dialogue between Orient and Occident.

In cooperation with Mia Paradies Productions