The Lost Kiss of Aliya

In the early 1990s, writers and poets were on the move, seeking a wider horizon that would allow the echo of their fresh voices to ring loud. They made their way from the provinces of Egypt and the back streets of Cairo, coming together in cafés, meeting halls, and restaurants filled with the fumes of cheap meat over-seasoned with hot pepper. They met to traverse the forests of guardian beasts, in an attempt to cross the seven seas and fathom secret caves. During the 1990s, the world underwent pivotal transformations orchestrated by a cruel new order showing no mercy for others. Aliya Abdel Salaam is a poet with fierce talent. Aliya lost faith in society before writing poetry, in the poets’ ghettoes before they were formed, and in the Other before the Other betrayed her. Aliya is an unbeliever seeking pure faith. This film revolves around the narratives of Aliya Abdel Salaam, with her tragedies, poetics, and defiance as a free being enamored with startling her pursuers, even if that means falling into captivity.