Writer, director, and journalist Jawad Rhalib presents a timely exploration of Muslim identity in relation to artistic expression and harmful stereotypes, through archival footage, interviews, and evocative performances highlighting the fundamentalist hatred towards artists, At the Time When the Arabs Danced retraces the thorny path of Arab-Muslim artists in this century of Islamic fascism.

The fundamentalist does not like life. For him, it is a distance from God and the heavenly paradise, with its rivers of milk with an unalterable taste, its rivers of wine, its delights and its virgins. Life is the product of anarchy, and this anarchy is the work of the artist.

A Belgian author and filmmaker known for his committed cinema, Jawad Rhalib focuses his work on an uncompromising observation and denunciation of the defects and political, economic and religious ravages on our societies. He writes and directs short, medium- and feature-length fiction films and feature-length documentaries. His documentaries El Ejido, The Law of Profit, The Wretched of the Sea, The Song of the Turtles, The Swallows of Love and At the Time When the Arabs Danced, At the Time the Arabs Danced have been selected in competition at prestigious festivals. In 2014, he directed his first feature film 7, rue de la folie, a black comedy that explores the dictatorship of patriarchy, then his second, Insoumise, which deals with the revolt of seasonal workers over the exploitation of landowners.

PRODUCER: Nourdin Rhaleb, Bart Maes, Jawad Rhalib
CAST: Screenplay: Jawad Rhalib; Cinematography: François Schmitt; Sound: Lionel Halflants; Editing: Stijn Deconinck; Sound and Mixing Editing: Pierre Castin; Music: Simon Fransquet