Found in translation
Introducing Found in Translation, a season of special screenings and events celebrating the incredible work of Isabel Sandoval, US-based Filipina filmmaker and actress, and Tunisian screenwriter-director Leyla Bouzid. We will be screening two of their recent films: Lingua Franca and A Tale of Love and Desire as part of 12 special events that will be presented in partnership with writers and poetry collectives in venues across the UK.
The films, in line with T A P E’s previous work, explore culture clashes, language barriers and attitudes towards immigrants and bring films from the festival circuit, without UK distribution, back to the big screen.
Written, Directed by + Starring
Year
Isabel Sandoval
2020
Lingua Franca follows Olivia, a Filipina trans woman working as a caregiver for Olga in New York. In the Trump era of heightened hostility, fear and uncertainty Olivia’s options for securing legal status in the US are diminished and her life and pursuit of a marriage of convenience are disrupted as Olga’s grandson moves in; leading to Olivia’s personal life and identity caving in on itself.
Written, Directed by
Year
Leyla Bouzid
2020
We presented A Tale Of Love And Desire along with the anthology We Wrote in Symbols edited by Selma Dabbagh. Selma Dabbagh and contributors to the anthology will offer us an insight into the long tradition of erotic writing in Arabic Literature.
About Selma:
Selma Dabbagh is a British Palestinian writer of fiction whose debut novel Out of It was a Guardian Book of the Year. Dabbagh’s BBC R4 play The Brick was nominated for the Imison Award, and her writing has been published in Granta and Wasafiri, and translated into several languages.
A Tale of Love and Desire follows Ahmed, a 18-year old French Algerian, who meets Farah, a young Tunisian girl. He discovers a collection of sensual and erotic Arab literature and falls in love with Farah as he tries to resist the desire he feels for her, clashing with the moral compass he’s set for himself and tries to impose on others.
Found in Translation was made possible with the support of the BFI, awarding funds from the National Lottery in order to bring this project to more audiences across the UK.