Films of Hussein Shariffe

Initially distinguished as a painter who studied with Lucian Freud and had his first gallery shows in London in 1958 and 1960, Hussein Shariffe (1934—2005) turned to film in the 70s as a way to reach wider audiences. “My framing of the film is ‎painterly,” he said of his work. “When it is in black and white, the form of the frame becomes ‎even more important. My attitude to color on film is also painterly…. This is the way I do things‎.” This screening includes two of his most celebrated creations: The Dislocation of Amber, a visual poem detailing a city’s desertion and resilience, and Tigers Are Better Looking, a reflection on exile and global disparity, both accompanied by the songs of Abdel-Aziz Dawoud.

The Dislocation of Amber (1975)
Dir. Hussein Shariffe
32min, Digital
In Arabic with English subtitles

The Dislocation of Amber shows images of Sawakin, a once prosperous port city now in ruins, accompanied by poems sung by the Sudanese singer Abdel-Aziz Dawoud. Shariffe used symbols—scorpions, shells, and camel caravans—to emphasize the feeling of complete abandonment. "Today, only faint traces of its former prosperity remain... a clouded reflection in a broken mirror, empty eyes with the stars in another house, laughter in another room," Hussein Shariffe said of his setting in 1974.

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Tigers are Better Looking (1979)
Dir. Hussein Shariffe
21min, Digital

An adaptation of a short story by Jean Rhys, Tigers Are Better Looking focuses on exile in Europe, and shows the great discrepancy between north and south. The film contrasts two different civilizations: the homeland, Sudan, and the country of exile, Great Britain. Using poetic abstractions, Shariffe succeeds in portraying the strong feeling of exile and the longing for home.