My Second Eye / Ayny / Moje drugo oko
Ahmad Saleh (Fiction 2.0, Academy of Media Arts Cologne, Ahmad Saleh)
2016, Germany, Jordan, Palestine, 11'
The mothers stood when the war hit the houses. The children kept dreaming. The houses grew back. The war hit back. The children kept playing. The film is a Gold Winner of Oscar Students Academy Award.
Matere so stale, ko je vojna udarila po hišah. Otroci so sanjali naprej. Hiše so zrasle nazaj. Vojna je spet udarila. Otroci so se igrali naprej. Film je dobitnik zlatega študentskega oskarja.
Language: Arabic
Recommended for children under the age of 14: No
Technique: Puppet animation, Live-action, 3D CGI
Team
Written and directed by Ahmad Saleh
Producer: Stefan Gieren
Art Director: Jessica Neubauer
Director of photography: Lionel Poutiaire Some
Animation: Frank Pingel
Character Design: Sabine Dully
3D animation and models: Claire Steka, Dominic Tiedken
Puppets: Ahmad Saleh, Diana Meneatrev, Jessica Neubauer, Kerstin Gramberg
Costumes: Kati Ostermann, Nici Lancaster, Carmen Oertwig
Props: Saed Saleh, Saleh Saleh, Frank Pingel, Camilo Colmenares, Shin Moromisato
Light: Mahmoud Belakhel
Sound: David Black
Music: Nizar Rohana
Academic supervision: Prof. Raimund Krumme, Stephanie Beaugrand, Prof. Sophie Maintigneux, Prof. Zilvinas Lilas, Prof. Katrin Laur, Prof. Markus Busch, Daniela Kinasteder, Christina Elbet // Production coordiators: Naser Abu Zer (Palestine), Saleh Saleh (Jordan)
Color grading: Quimu Cas, Fabiana Cardala
Sound recording and mix: Judith Nordbrock, Gerlad Schauder
Ahmad Saleh
is a Palestinian writer and director. His first film, House, 2012 won a second place in the German Short Film Award and his second film, Ayny, 2016 won an Academy Award. Recently he finished his third short film, Night and is developing his first feature. He collaborates artistically with his brothers: Saleh, Halah, and Huda. Ever since they made their first film, House, Ahmad, Saleh, Saed and the entire family made films together and established their own family studio. Inspired by their mother’s hobby of making ceramic flowers, the kids grow loving hand crafts. And that is probably what made building puppets and movie sets the natural medium to tell their stories. Ahmad Saleh also presents an original storytelling performance Inside the TV Box, I Found the True Story of the People of Palestine of which the artist says: I stand before the audience and narrate true stories from my journey – from outside Palestine to inside, and back out again. The films serve as chapters in this narrative, complementing my live narration. Throughout the performance, I intermittently dim the lights to allow the films to speak for themselves, before resuming the live narration.
Filmography:
2021 (debut) Night, Stop Motion Animation, 16’
2016 (graduation film) AYNY - MY SECOND EYE Stop Motion Animation, 11’
2015 (student film) MAA BAA Hand Drawn Animation, 6’
2012 (student film) HOUSE Stop Motion Animation
Interview with Ahmad Saleh (2024): Palestinian Animation at StopTrik: An Interview with Ahmad Saleh https://www.zippyframes.com/festivals/palestinian-animation-at-stoptrik-an-interview-with-ahmad-saleh