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curated by
Farah Hasanbegović
double bill #28
Christine Moderbacher and Saif Alsaegh use humour as a means of critique in times of political rupture. Filmed in the aftermath of the Tunisian Revolution, Moderbacher’s A Letter to Mohamed adopts a gentle, epistolary tone. Amid uncertainty, humour surfaces, allowing hope and fatigue to coexist.
The Motherfucker’s Birthday, by contrast, deploys humour as provocation. Through confrontational performance and archival clips of Saddam Hussein and George W. Bush dancing, figures of power are rendered absurd, stripped of authority through ridicule. Laughter here is sharp and destabilising, a way to process anger.
While Moderbacher’s film invites closeness through attentive observation, Alsaegh’s insists on distance through irony and confrontation. Together, the films suggest that comedy—whether subtle or corrosive—is a vital tool for navigating political upheaval.
- Availability worldwide
- Language French, Arabic, English
- Subtitles English, French
yanco’s double-bill series explores private and public Belgian archives, from museums to national film schools. Guest curators pair a Belgian short film with a companion audiovisual work to create a thematic or formal dialogue. Each resulting micro programme includes curatorial notes alongside a supporting essay, article, or interview.