The Hour of Liberation Has Arrived

“In the late ‘60s, Dhofar rose up against the British-backed Sultanate of Oman, in a democratic, feminist guerrilla movement. Heiny Srour and her team crossed 500 miles of desert and mountains by foot, under bombardment by the British Royal Air Force, to reach the conflict zone and capture this rare record of a now mostly-forgotten war. The People’s Liberation Army— barefoot, without rank or salary— freed a third of the territory, while undertaking a vast program of social reforms and infrastructure projects— schools, farms, hospitals, and roads were built, while illiterate teenage shepherdesses became feminists and 8-year-old school children learned to practice democracy. A still-topical portrait of a liberated society and an exploration of the role of oil in U.S. and British involvement in the Middle East, it was the first film by an Arab woman to screen at Cannes, where it was nominated for four awards.” - Film Forum