Under the umbrella of the newly launched ALFILM CINECLUB, a participatory initiative designed to transform cinema spectatorship into a collective intellectual and emotional practice, the Network of Arab Alternative Screens (NAAS) partnered with ALFILM - Arab Film Festival Berlin to facilitate a participatory workshop titled “Rewriting the Self – Cinema as a Laboratory of Becoming.”

Held in conjunction with the festival’s 17th edition, it was designed to reimagine cinema not merely as a site of exhibition, but as a space for shared inquiry and imaginative growth within the Arab diaspora. In the face of ongoing political and social upheavals, the program aimed to extend audience agency beyond passive consumption.

Over several weeks, selected participants transitioned from spectators to active writers through an intensive three-stage journey:

• The Virtual Prelude: Participants met with mentors Iskandar Abdalla, Abdalrahman Alqalaq, and Hosam Fahmy to share initial reflections, set expectations, and receive critical frameworks to guide their upcoming festival experience.
• The Festival Immersion: Attending screenings during the festival (April 22–28), participants moved beyond the screen, actively taking notes and drafting their initial creative-critical reflections.
• The "Laboratory": In May, the group gathered for a two-day intensive workshop at the NAAS office in Berlin. Guided by mentors Iskandar Abdalla and Abdalrahman Alqalaq, participants engaged in collective film analysis, explored film as a historical document, and delved into the methodology of "writing the self." Through peer discussions and direct feedback loops, they refined their first drafts.

Equipped with these collaborative theoretical tools and deep-dive analysis, participants are currently finalizing their original texts. More than a temporary festival event, this workshop marks a lasting contribution to the Arabic critical landscape; the final essays will soon be published on Malaffat, offering fresh, diaspora-centered perspectives on contemporary Arab cinema.

In collaboration with the Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung.