We Began By Measuring Distance
Long still frames, text, language, and sound are weaved together to form a narrative of an anonymous group who fill their time by measuring distance. Innocent measurements transition into political ones, examining how image and sound communicate history. A film that began as hours of unrelated footage, We Began… evolved into a personal reflection on the irreconcilable reality of witnessing tragedy from a physical distance. A document of a history, an event, or simply a feeling.
Director Biography
Basma al-Sharif (b. 1983) is a Palestinian artist working in cinema and installation whose practice looks at cyclical political conflicts, confronting legacies of colonialism in satirical, immersive and lyrical style. She has developed her practice nomadically between the Middle East, Europe and North America and is currently based in Berlin. Her films have screen widely at international film festivals and her major exhibitions include: the 5th edition of Kochi-Muziris Biennale, the Ruttenberg Contemporary Photography Series for the Museum of the Art Institute of Chicago, Modern Mondays at MOMA, CCA Glasgow, the Whitney Biennial, Berlin Documentary Forum, and Manifesta 8.
Director Filmography
Capital (two-channel video) (2022), Capital (one-channel video) (2023), Ouroboros (2017), Comfortable in Our New Homes (2017), Trompe l’oeil (2016), Renée’s Room (2014-15), High Noon (2015), Field Guide To The Ferns (2015), O, Persecuted (2014), Deep Sleep (2014), Girls Only (2014), Untitled (Lyndsay Bloom) (2014), Home Movies Gaza (2013), The Story of Milk and Honey (2011), Farther Than The Eye Can See (single-channel video) (2012), Farther Than The Eye Can See (four-channel installation) (2012), Turkish Delight (2010), We Began By Measuring Distance (2009), Everywhere Was The Same (2007)
