Grandmother University
Spore hosts
Save the Date
Occupied Stage: Embodied Voices
Workshop, Film Screenings, Live Music Performance & Community Iftar
14. March 2026
12.00-20.00
12.00-20.00
Save the Date
For free
all ages welcome
Arabic/in English
This pre-festival gathering opens Occupied Stage with a full-day program connecting embodied practice, cinema, music, and collective ritual.
12 – 2 pm: Where the Body Speaks – Workshop with Dr. @maiada
The day begins with Where the Body Speaks, a workshop led by Dr. Maiada Aboud that explores body-oriented methods drawn from performance, somatic practice, and trauma-informed approaches. Through movement, breathing, writing, and guided exercises, participants are invited to reflect on memory, pain, and collective experience as lived and embodied realities. Participants will be divided into two groups of ten. The workshop is limited to a maximum of 20 participants to preserve the format and working conditions.
2:30 – 5 pm: Film Programme
In the afternoon, the documentary The Devil’s Driver by Mohammad Abugeth & Daniel Carsenty will be screened. An intimate portrait of mobility, restriction, and survival in the West Bank.
After that we will show the short film Ghafweh, a quiet reflection on pause and intimacy within a charged environment, by Abdullah Milhem, followed by a conversation with the filmmaker. Together, these works examine personal and political narratives through intimate storytelling.
5 – 6 pm: Live performance by @takhmeera
The evening will transition into a live performance by Takhmeera, a musical collective rooted in West and North African traditions that blends ancestral rhythms with contemporary influences.
From 6 pm: Community Iftar
The food will be prepared by Wasahlan, a women-run culinary studio inspired by Egyptian ingredients, memory, and cross-cultural experimentation. Throughout the Iftar there will also be a listening session by @aaliairaki, creating a sonic atmosphere accompanying the shared meal.
By bringing together embodied knowledge, artistic testimony, and communal gathering during Ramadan, this event wants to serve as a reflection on presence, voice, and shared responsibility within contemporary cultural and social contexts.
Curated by Khaoula Ben el Hadj
The Devil’s Driver, 2021
Mohammad Abugeth
90 min, Documentary
Arabic with English subtitles
The Devil’s Driver follows an underground Palestinian taxi driver navigating the tensions and constraints of everyday life in the West Bank. The documentary offers an intimate portrait of mobility, restriction, and survival under occupation.
Ghafweh, 2024
Emad Metwally & Abdullah Melhem
Short film
English
Karim, an Arab artist residing in exile, grapples with the haunting specters of his tumultuous past. Within the intricate tapestry of his memories, these ghosts manifest as characters, each embodying a distinct facet of the traumas that continue to shadow him. In his artistic pursuits, Karim seeks solace and redemption, using his creativity as a medium to confront and process the complexities of his personal history. The ghosts serve as poignant reminders of the challenges he has faced, compelling him to navigate the delicate balance between confronting his demons and forging a path toward healing and self-discovery in the midst of exile.
English (primary language), with parts in Arabic. Q&A in English
No prior experience required. Workshop participants should be comfortable engaging in light movement and reflective exercises.
About Occupied Stage
Occupied Stage is a performance art festival that reclaims the stage as a site of evidence, critical inquiry, and public witnessing. Taking place in Berlin, a city shaped by division, surveillance, and unresolved histories, the festival frames performance as both commemoration and confrontation. It foregrounds counter-performance as a practice that resists silencing, propaganda, and the weaponization of memory, creating space for live expression and difficult speech without enforced neutrality.
The program brings together artists working across performance, music, dance, theatre, sound, and interdisciplinary practices, engaging questions of power, displacement, censorship, and social responsibility.
The festival will take place from March 14 at Spore Haus, March 20–22 at Flutgraben, and March 28 (venue TBA).
Organized by coculture e.V.
