Wednesday 18 December 2024 (20:00) at Cinema ZED, Hasselt - During preliminary research for the theatre production Persians. Triumph of Empathy, director and theatre maker Chokri Ben Chikha travelled to the occupied and colonised Palestinian territories and Israel in January 2024. Together with director Jan Beddegenoodts, he made the documentary Looking for Empathy.
In a context of occupation, war, genocide and manipulated truths, the film refuses to take a comfortable distance. Can you empathise with your enemy in times like these? And who is arrogant, who is hubristic? Netanyahu? Hamas? Or the filmmakers themselves, who do not shy away from taking a stand?
Looking for Empathy undermines the idea of neutrality and exposes the tension between engagement and overconfidence. The documentary is uncompromising and self-critical, showing how empathy does not reconcile, but rubs, chafes and becomes dangerous precisely when it is most needed.
Following the screening of this documentary, there will be a panel discussion with directors Chokri Ben Chikha and Jan Beddegenoodts, who will be joined by Hassan Alzaaneen, person with lived experience.
