This movie tries to uncover the secrets behind the annual Âshûrâ ritual, a grief and penance ritual which is meant to remind us of the massacre of Husain Ibn Ali in the battle of Karbala in 680 BC, regarded today as the final separation of Sunni and Shiite Islam. By incorporating scenes from an interview with Derrida and Deleuze, as well as parts of one of his own lectures, Toufic manages a tightrope walk between a theoretical explanation and an ethnographic documentary. At the same time, he questions our perception of Islam and mirrors the political situation in the Arab world. A fascinating analysis of the relations between rituals, memory, and history.

Beginning in September 2010 and continuing until February 2011, the Filmmuseum will feature a series of 20 films from various genres which will take their audiences into the most remote regions of the Islamic world. The films to be shown couldn’t be more diverse and together form a cinematic kaleidoscope that addresses ongoing political tensions and themes such as modernisation, globalisation, violence and perceived departures from tradition, the power of reason, and life and poetry in our contemporary global world.

Organisers: Munich Museum of Film [Münchner Filmmuseum], Munich Adult Education Centre [Münchner Volkshochschule]