Ruptured Memories: Visceral Cinema as a Counter-Memory political stance

Application summary

In the aftermath of conflict and catastrophe, societies often struggle with fragmented histories and suppressed memories. In Lebanon, the legacy of civil war (1975–1990) has left a profound gap in collective memory, where political amnesia has overshadowed the possibility of reconciliation or healing. The scars of past wars are not merely historical, but continuously resurfaced in the collective consciousness of its people. The unresolved narratives of these conflicts – coupled with fresh confrontations – form a fragmented landscape of memory that remains in flux. In such contexts, political documentary cinema, particularly memory-scape cinema, has emerged as a medium to interrogate, reflect, and challenge dominant narratives while navigating through fractured histories to explore the unspoken and unseen. This research investigates how memory-scape cinema engages with the fragmented histories and traumas of post-conflict societies, with a particular focus on Lebanon. Drawing on counter-memory theory as a political approach, the study examines how visceral cinema – through its manipulation of time, space, and sensory experiences – can reshape our perceptions of memory, trauma, and embodiment in the context of ruins and collective loss. The scheduled outputs are: [1] The artistic component “Versets Sombres”, in the form of a feature essay film, will serve as a laboratory for experimentation of the research findings. [2] The doctoral dissertation in the form of a monograph. The targeted audience is academics and researchers in film and memory studies, middle eastern, international post-conflict zones and counter-memory methods of filmmaking; Filmmakers and Artists, especially those exploring experimental cinema, essay films, and counter-narratives in film practice. [3] Internationalization of the research; presentation in conferences about the research’s findings on reshaping the perceptions of ruptured histories and embodied memory in post-conflict societies.