Chanting of the Dunes

True story
1:26:00 mins
United States
English, French, Italian

Synopsis

Chanting of the Dunes has so far won over 40 awards and 20 nominations!
The film takes viewers on a dazzling journey through multiple countries and during momentous world events that extend from the Levant in the 1920s to the U.S. and China in the 1990s.
Chanting of the Dunes recounts the life of Wahbi Al-Hariri-Rifai who was an accomplished international artist, architect, archeologist, and author. It is told through the mixed perspective of his wife, Widad Marachi, who married him at the age of 15. The fascinating storyline is full of unexpected turns and is accompanied by a superb award-winning soundtrack.
The film is beautifully illustrated through hundreds of meticulously restored black/white and color archival photographs and original footage.
According to festival managers, the film exceeds all expectations and represents a new cinematographic genre between narrative feature and documentary. Many have called it “extraordinary, moving, mesmerizing, full of messages…”

Title: 

Chanting of the Dunes

Award Year: 

2025

Director: 

Mokhless Al-Hariri

Other Credits:

Film Editor: Tod Hopkins; Narration: Nada Kouatly; Main Theme Composer: Amina Garcevic Tagaldin; Score Composer: Ali Sehir

Producer: 

Maria Midani, Mokhless Al-Hariri

Writer: 

Mokhless Al-Hariri

Director's Interview

Festival: 

2025

Category: 

Documentary Films, Experimental Films, Feature

Country: 

United States

Language: 

EnglishFrenchItalian

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