Mohanad Yaqubi, a Belgium-based Palestinian filmmaker, has created a cinematic essay titled “Revolutionaries Never Die” that explores the work of late Lebanese filmmaker and war correspondent Jocelyne Saab during the first decade of her career. The film will debut in the Filmmakers of the Present competition at the 79th Locarno Film Festival on August 9.
Yaqubi’s project began as a restoration initiative when Mathilde Rouxel, Saab’s assistant during her final years, approached him to digitally scan archival materials. As Yaqubi engaged with Saab’s filmography from 1973 to 1983, he discovered striking parallels between her historical documentation and contemporary events. Yaqubi became particularly aware of these connections after his own family home in Gaza was destroyed, leading him to examine how Saab had similarly documented destruction in her 1982 film “Beirut My City,” which showed her standing before her own bombed residence.
Locarno’s artistic director Giona A. Nazzaro described the resulting film as a tribute to Saab’s legacy, noting her prescient documentation of significant historical events including the Iranian revolution. Yaqubi characterizes the work as a letter to Saab, exploring the resonance between her depictions of political upheaval and contemporary Middle Eastern realities. The filmmaker emphasizes how Saab maintained hope and commitment to filmmaking even amid personal devastation, qualities he aims to convey to audiences.
Yaqubi, who also serves as the Palestine Film Institute’s public programmer, reflects on broader questions about committed cinema and the responsibility of filmmakers during times of conflict. He views this project, despite being his third feature film, as representing a fundamental reconsideration of his artistic practice. The title derives from a book of conversations between Palestinian political leader George Habash and French journalist Georges Malbrunot about revolutionary practice, encapsulating Yaqubi’s belief in maintaining creative and political commitment even during dark periods. Square Eyes is handling international sales for the documentary.
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