Oh My Sweet Land

A kitchen in Paris. A woman, the daughter of German-Syrian parents, fries mincemeat, kneads bulgur, forms balls and deep-fries them in oil. She is making kibbeh, a typical meat dish from Syria. The smell of the dish on the stove, that her grandmother prepared for her when she was a child in a kitchen in their first exile in Munich makes her remember her own forgotten story of escape and banishment. While cooking she talks about her relationship with Ashraf, a pharmacy assistant from Damascus. The woman used Skype to help him organise the escape of other Syrians. After that they were a couple for three months but then Ashraf suddenly left. The woman sets off on the search for her lost lover. Her journey takes her to Lebanon where she meets a Syrian actor who was persecuted by the Assad regime. From there she goes to Jordan where she encounters a reporter who managed to escape from imprisonment by staging his own funeral. And finally to Syria where she discovers devastated cities, bitter battles, destruction and a demoralised population. But the journey also confronts the woman with her memories of her own origins and family and poses the question: what exactly is home?

Amir Nizar Zuabi (*1976, Jerusalem) graduated from Israel’s prestigious Nissan Native Acting Studio. In 2005, Zouabi staged »Jidariyya« at the Palestinian National Theatre in Jerusalem. The show toured internationally and was invited by Peter Brook’s Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord in Paris. »Jidariyya« was also performed as part of the Edinburgh International Festival. In 2008, Zuabi founded the ShiberHur Theater Company. In 2011, Zouabi became the International Associate director of the Young Vic, London. Zuabi became a member of the UTE (Union des Théâtres de l’Europe) in 2013.

Lighting Design: Nicolas Chorier 
With: Corinne Jaber