Project Detail

A Magical Substance Flows Into Me

Synopsis

Artist Jumana Manna sets out in search of the musical diversity of historical Palestine. Drawing on her research into the German-Jewish ethnomusicologist Robert Lachmann (1892-1939) and his work in Palestine, the film follows Manna’s exchanges with musicians as she encounters them in their homes and places of work and worship.
Berlinale 2016 - World premiere

Details

Year
2016
Type of project
Features
Running time
68 mins
Director
Jumana Manna
Producer
Polly Staple
Editor
Katrin Ebersohn
Screenwriter
Jumana Manna
Director of Photography
Daniel Kedem
Sound
Sound Recording: Antoine Brochu; Sound Mixing: Jochen Jezussek
Composer
Voice and music from: Aharon Amram, Liron Amram, Abdullah Wasif Cahen, Neta Elkayam, Amit Hai, Mousa Al Khamaysi, Yaniv Ovadia, Said Murad, Wisam Murad, Osama Abu ‘Ali, Hassan Abu ‘Ali, Hussein Abu ‘Ali, Hani Shushari
Principal cast
Adel Manna, Aziza Manna

Production Status

Production Company

Palestinian Territories, Germany, UK coproduction

Co-commissioned by the Sharjah Art Foundation and Chisenhale Gallery with Malmö Konsthall and the Biennale of Sydney

Sales Company

Page updates

This page was last updated on 12th May 2025. Please let us know if we need to make any amendments or request edit access by clicking below.

See also

You may also be interested in other relevant projects in the database.

A 3d printed of a female duet displayed in a vitrine in front of a projection of a digital image of the split second of the duet captured in photogrametry Loss.y

Director: Lisa Jamhoury

Year: 2026

Situated at the physical-virtual threshold, loss·y memorializes corporeal passing and digital rebirth. The work intertwines animated sculptural “dances” with interactive spatial audio, inviting audiences to navigate invisible thresholds as they move. loss·y presents three split-seconds of a motion-captured female-female pas de deux: each moment is suspended in a vignette that overlaps projection and 3D prints encapsulating the dance in sculpture, with spoken-word poetry and spatial sound design. The installation’s audioscapes blend cold technical facts, accounts of digital dysmorphia and surveillance, and computer-generated sampling, creating an elegy to the vital body that is at once human and digital. On its surface a critique of today’s techno-society, loss·y collusively takes up digital reduction and surveillance as creative media, revealing reverence for the uncanny wonder that pulls us forward into our new, hybridized world. Official Selection SXSW 2026

Maverick: The Epic Adventures of David Lean Maverick: The Epic Adventures of David Lean

Director: Barnaby Thompson

Year: 2026

An in-depth study of David Lean, the man and his films. David Lean was one of the greatest filmmakers. He redefined what films could be, but his singular vision and tenacious determination to film the impossible earned him a reputation as an obsessive maverick. He was a master of his craft, capable of creating love and beauty on screen, but whose personal life was often troubled, uprooted, and painful. Featuring interviews with contemporary filmmakers including Wes Anderson, Paul Greengrass, Alfonso Cuarón, Celine Song, Brady Corbet, Francis Ford Coppola, Denis Villeneuve, Nia DaCosta, and Joe Wright. Official Selection Cannes Film Festival 2026 - Cannes Classics - World premiere

Intelligence Rising Intelligence Rising

Director: Elena Andreicheva

Year: 2026

Much has been said about artificial intelligence's effect on fields such as the creative arts, but we are only now beginning to experience the geopolitical consequences. Intelligence Rising chronicles a bold experiment: some of the world’s most prominent thinkers in politics, military strategy, philosophy, and technology gather to play an intricate wargame designed by Marc Warner, a founder and leader who's been at the frontier of AI progress for 15 years. What ensues is a stark warning, but also a much-needed reminder of the power of human autonomy and empathy. Official Selection DOX DANMARK - World premiere Official Selection CPH DOX 2026 Official Selection SXSW London 2026