Noor Abed. A Night We Held Between

A Night We Held Between takes as its starting point Song for The Fighters, found in the sound archive of the Popular Art Center Palestine. As if in a maze of sounds and places, the film evokes history as a permanent present tense, a collective act of imagination.

The film was shot in natural settings in Palestine, such as caves, underground passages and wild valleys, giving the landscape a part of its own. The film uses this setting to explore collective memory and uncover a world hidden beneath the surface we see. The images evoke what has been lost or forgotten, while old rituals and gestures inspired by ancient traditions connect the past to the present. In this way, the film opens up a space to reflect on the relationship between land, culture and shared history.

Throughout the film, the scenes interweave rituals and narratives of community and resistance with everyday portrayals of aspects of day-to-day life in Palestine, emphasising the role of the collective rhythmic movement and the potential impact shared feelings can evoke in the formation and maintenance of a community.

The work of Noor Abed (Jerusalem, 1988) is a profound artistic exploration of the intersections between movement, ideology and social constructs. Her films serve as a critical exploration of the mechanisms of power, memory and resistance, offering alternative narratives that challenge and enrich our understanding of the world we live in.

Han Nefkens Foundation – Museu Tàpies Video Art Production Grant 2022, in collaboration with NTU CCA, Singapore; WIELS, Brussels; Museum of Contemporary Art and Design (MCAD), Manila; and Jameel Arts Centre, Dubai.