Panel Discussion on Purple Sea
On the Panel: Amel Alzakout, Khaled Abdulwahed, and Philip Scheffner
Amel Alzakout, born in 1988 in Syria, is an artist and filmmaker based in Leipzig. Between 2010 and 2013 she studied journalism at Cairo University, Egypt, and between 2017 and 2018 she studied art at the Weißensee Art Academy in Berlin. She is currently studying media art at the Academy of Visual Art (HGB) in Leipzig. Purple Sea is her debut film. Previous work includes Stranger’s Diaries (2019, with Khaled Abdulwahed, 8-channel video installation, 35′), and Home Sweet Home (2020, with Khaled Abdulwahed, 11′).
Khaled Abdulwahed, born in 1975 in Syria, is an artist, photographer, and filmmaker based in Leipzig. Between 1996 and 2000 he studied Fine Arts and Graphic Design at Adham Ismail art school in Damascus, Syria, and at Frederick University in Nicosia, Cyprus. Previous work includes Bullet (2011, 2′), Tuj (2012, 2′), Slot in Memory (2013, 2’30”), Jellyfish (2016, 74′), Backyard (2018, 26′), Stranger’s Diaries (2019, with Amel Alzakout, 8-channel video installation, 35′), Purple Sea (2020, with Amel Alzakout, 67′), and Home Sweet Home (2020, with Amel Alzakout, 11′).
Philip Scheffner, writer | director | editor | producer (pong Film, Berlin), born in 1966 in Homburg/Saar, lives and works as an artist and filmmaker in Berlin. Between 1990–2000 numerous short and feature films with the Berlin-based authors' group dogfilm. Together with Merle Kröger, Alex Gerbaulet and Caroline Kirberg he runs the production platform pong. In the Forum of the Berlinale with Havarie (2016), And-Ek Ghes... (2016), Revision (2012), Der Tag des Spatzen (2010), The Halfmoon Files (2007). Scheffner's new film EUROPE, the first feature film production in collaboration with amateur actors, is currently being completed.