Performance Research/Experimental film | Egypt, Germany, Finland 2025/2026

Who is at the centre?

Belgian choreographer and dance filmmaker Michael Maurissens and Egyptian dramaturge Basma Eletreby collaborate on a project that explores the intersections of choreography and Islamic philosophy; particularly the embodiment of spiritual concepts through movement, the use of allegory in visual storytelling, and the articulation of metaphysical themes in artistic narratives. 

Culturally and politically, the project resists the flattening of religion into dogma and spirituality into marketable identity. Instead, it insists on the mystery, multiplicity, and interiority of the sacred experience. Artistically, it contributes to a growing movement in contemporary art and performance that seeks to reconnect the aesthetic with the spiritual, the poetic with the political. It stands in dialogue with works that challenge the boundaries of genre, time, and authorship using performance as a vessel for contemplation, intimacy, and revelation.

Artistic Direction Michael Maurissens and Basma Eletreby

Production CARRÉ BLANC PRODUCTIONS
Direction of Photography Michael Maurissens

Editing Michael Maurissens

Dramaturgy Basma Eletreby

Mentoring Prof. Steffen Stelzer 

Funded by Kunststiftung nrw
Supported by Goethe Institut Cairo, Saari Residence - Kone Foundation