It goes on - Experimental documentary 2012 - 5:40 min

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I was one of the few lucky film makers chosen for the Docnomads program, so far I am the chosen one form Egypt in the past two years.

Docnomads is a dream, we travel between different European countries and make documentaries.

My first semester as a Docnomads master student - www.docnomads.eu - was in Lisbon, Portugal @ Universidade Lusófona www.ulusofona.pt/‎

our exam film was about a short documentary with the following guidelines :

- Not more than 5 min

- Use less music as possible. Enhance ambient sound and sound track composition in post.

- No interview style

- SAY MUCH with LESS WORDS or no words

- You can also explore more experimental approaches in form but your film must convey a sense of structured discourse.

The first thing I noticed in Portugal was the huge amount of old people in the streets and the lack of children, by investigating I found that Portugal is one of the countries that is struggling with the low birth rate, immediately I was excited to make a short fiction documentary under the title " The last generation" I was planning to show in a realistic way how life could be when the life cycle stop and how the last generation life will be like, I was also planning to end the film with my future vision of the Chinese and Arabs replacing the original inhabitants.

Unfortunately and after I started shooting, my supervisor rejected the idea and made fun of it, claiming that the low birth rate issue will turn the film into a TV program in addition to the fact that Portugal is fine.

I was extremely disappointed and I had to work fast to satisfy my supervisor to get the mark after threatening me that not changing the topic will lead me to a certain failure.

I was already shooting in "KAJIL" nursery house in Lumiar, where I met 2 men, Edmundo and John, they both spoke very good English although they were old, due to the fact that they spent their lives in the Portuguese colonies in Africa they were both in Mozambique, but Edmundo moved to South Africa and they met again after 70 years in this nursery house.

I always found life full of mystery, I never found answers to my questions about our existence, and it was very sad fact knowing that I will die one day, and not only me but everyone on this planet, for me life was pointless, we come, we follow the life current and we die, I worked on changing the idea of my film " The last generation" which wasn't approved to "It goes on", trying to make people stop and think for a moment about their existence and the life cycle that seems to be continuing forever.

I knew that the topic now is abstract philosophical and very difficult, but I didn't want to make something only to satisfy my supervisor but also to satisfy me.

If you won't be able to make your crazy ideas as a student, I don't think you could apply them when you go out in the commercial real market .

Edmundo - My voice protagonist

I recorded with Edmundo who was a very energetic man at the age of 84, he loved life and enjoyed every moment of it, like most of the people, he never bothered to question and was a very satisfied man, I loved his voice which was very deep and aged, but he looked too young for his age and I wanted to show someone in his last days and how fragile and weak he could be, so his friend John was the one I chose for the image of the film.

John - My Image protagonist

As I was struggling with my supervisor who also didn't support so much my new Idea and didn't get it at all, he asked me to go back and re-shoot again and try to follow a character, which seemed to be the most safe and welcomed topic.

I went back and I received the news of Edmundo passing away, It was difficult to believe, because he was so healthy and active till the last moment, and I enjoyed talking to him so much I had long recording with him about everything in his life and I felt so close to him, I couldn't hold me tears and the manager of the nursery house was trying to calm me down, telling me that this happens every day here, as all of them are old, I knew that this happens every day, not only in the nursery house but all around the globe.

I found in Edmundo's death great support for my film as it will put infront of the audience the fact I am trying to make them see, how life could be an illusion and we could all disappear in a second, but this time it is a documentary, with the help of Edmundo I was able to document death, and show in real life time a person suddenly losing his life which was full of events, Edmundo did it all as he stated.

Lumiar cemetary

The film got a very low mark and received negative feedback from most of the instructors except one: Margarida Cardoso, who said "We don't have to agree with her point of view but it is a good film"

The film was accepted to be shown so far in the following festivals :

English Title: It goes on

Σκηνοθέτης - Director: Theresa Khalil

Χώρα / Χώρες Παραγωγής - Country of Production: Portugal

- Athens International Digital Film Festival – www.aidff.com

English Title: It goes on

Σκηνοθέτης - Director: Theresa Khalil

Χώρα / Χώρες Παραγωγής - Country of Production: Portugal

- CologneOFF IX

http://coff09.newmediafest.org/

http://coff.newmediafest.org/blog/index.php?s-

English Title: It goes on