kNOwBOX dance Film Festival 2022
Official Selection Film Spotlight
X PAT BOND
00:21:34 / Edmond, Oklahoma, USA
A raw depiction of an expatriate separated from a world once known as home.
How do you think your film relates to the NBFF 2022 Theme 'Dancing Around the World'?
X PAT BOND revolves around the idea of having to find and build a home any place in the world other than your rooted, ancestral land. The Lebanese people really depend on their culture to ground them anywhere they arrive in this world. This is the root of what immigrants hold on to, continuing to foster the richness in their traditions; to savor it. It is the only thing that allows an expatriate to feel close to their people and culture while simultaneously, physically, being the furthest away possible. There is no choice but to look forward in a life of survival. This film revolves around the rollercoaster of emotions an expat goes through watching themselves move far away and having to immediately adapt to their new environment.
In a sense, the results of the immigration creates a generation of worldly expats. These people are having to suddenly learn other ways of interacting and including themselves in a completely new society. Even though this story is based on the story of the Lebanese people, I know for a fact that many people around the world have to go through very similar situations, setbacks, heavy emotions, and growth. Our people become spread around this world, only to find ourselves yearning for the reunion in the homeland.
What do you hope to communicate with our audience through your work?
First and foremost, this film is really meant to bring awareness to the results of a civilization being forced out of their homeland, because nothing about the way it operates supports any sort of present or future. I really want the audience to hear the frustration, angst, anger, fear, hurt, love, desperation, resilience, exhaustion, compassion, empathy, and hope through the words. To feel the embodiment of a human living this reality through the movement.
There is so much going on in this world to keep up with, and subjects are talked and forgotten about quicker than the blink of an eye. I want this film to travel and reach communities that can learn from it, as well as relate to it. Whether you are Lebanese or not, this inhumane corrupted way of living is happening in way too many places in the world. We have become accustomed to it, it's just normal. The truth is, it is not one bit appropriate for this many people around the world to experience theft of life itself. To battle internal wars of self identification caused by a larger power. It's time to open ourselves up to the vulnerability that arises when stepping into all facets which shape our identity.
Natasha Abu-Fadel graduated from UCO with a BFA in Dance Performance. She then attended intensives and immersions to further continue her fascination with movement and improvisation for performance. She is now a freelance educator, choreographer and performer in the OKC area and abroad. Her works have been seen in UCO's theater productions, Edmond North and Southmoore High School's musical productions. She has worked with a few different musicians performing in their music videos. Natasha produced and released her first short dance film “X PAT BOND” in collaboration with Leandro Damasco Jr. She also recently performed her solo “La Vie En Rose” at the Oklahoma International Dance Festival. Through and through she continues to experiment, research, discover and evolve her craft with like-minded artists.
Producers: Natasha Abu-Fadel and Leandro Damasco Jr.
Director/Editor: Leandro Damasco Jr. Director of Photography: Leandro Damasco Jr.
Choreographer/Dancer: Natasha Abu-Fadel Screenplay: Natasha Abu-Fadel
Spoken Word: Lélia Rababy, Mireille Nasr, Alex Mecattaf, Camilia Hamza, Elena Molenschot, Ian Cummings, Maya Talih, Miguele Issa, Christelle Khoury, Sara Egavian, Andrea Egavian, Nada Njeim, Dana Hamoud, Ghadir Hamadi, Léa Maalouli, Adra Kandil, Natasha Abu-Fadel
Writers: Lélia Rababy, Mireille Nasr, Alex Mecattaf, Camilia Hamza, Natasha Mamoun, Maria Najjar, Maya Talih, Miguele Issa, Christelle Khoury, Médéa Azouri , Lama Karamé, Nada Njeim, Dana Hamoud, Ghadir Hamadi, Léa Maalouli, Adra Kandil, Natasha Abu-Fadel
Production Crew: Nathaniel Tylor, Jazmine Moreno, and Ian Cummings
Music: Missing Memories by Christoffer Moe Ditlevsen, Walking The Distance by Jay Varton, Recover From The Storm by Etienne Roussel, A Name For A Lover by Bonn Fields, Arabic Guesthouse by Sight Of Wonders, Didn't I Say Forever by Clarence Reed, Black And White by Magnus Ringblom, Quartet Bhebbak Ya Lebnan by Fairuz, Temporarily Virtual by Cobby Costa, From Where We Are by Reynard Seidel
Connect
FB: /natasha.a.fadel