Dir. Maiken Baird
107 mins, Documentary

The life and mind of the brilliant Palestinian-American professor, author, and public intellectual Edward Said (1935–2003) fuels this rich, engrossing documentary. Born in Jerusalem, Said was displaced, along with his refugee family, in 1948, with the founding of Israel. Sent to boarding school in Massachusetts, he would go on to become a Professor of Literature at Columbia University, later finding his calling as a world-renowned advocate for the Palestinian cause, and in essential books like Orientalism, a crucial critic of the way Arab people are othered in Western culture. Using all archival footage, Maiken Baird’s film follows Said from childhood to education to his social politicization, his relationship with his wife Mariam, and his battles with leukemia, always remaining committed to representing the power of his words, thoughts, and humanism.

Score composed by Kareem Roustom. This screening is preceded by Palestinian Songs, Dances, and Images, featuring a performance of another composition by Roustom.