Ghost Hunting | اصطياد اشباح

As part of the Room 14 Exhibition, join us for a screening of Ghost Hunting | اصطياد اشباح 

The screening will be followed by discussion with assistant director and former political prisoner Wadee Hanani

About the film

Director Raed Andoni places a newspaper advertisement in Ramallah looking for Palestinians who had been held captive of the Moskobiya interrogation centre in Jerusalem. In his ad he asks that the men should also have experience as craftsmen, architects or actors.

After a casting process that almost feels like role play, he arranges for a replica of the centre's interrogation rooms and cells to be built to scale inside a warehouse in Ramallah under the close supervision of the former prisoners and their memories. In this realistic setting the men subsequently re-enact their interrogations, discuss details about the prison, and express the humiliation they experienced during their detention.

Using techniques reminiscent of the 'theatre of the oppressed' they work together to dramatise their real-life experiences. Their reconstruction brings long repressed emotions and undealt with trauma to the fore. Working on the film takes its toll on the men - both physically and mentally. The director also appears in front of the camera; not only is he creating a stage for his protagonists, he is also coming to terms with his own fragmented memories of imprisonment in Moskobiya thirty years before.

Doors 6:30pm

Film 7pm - 8:30pm

discussion with assistant director Wadee Hanani 8:30 - 9pm

Critic reviews:

”Ghost Hunting is one of the most underrated documentaries out there, and the only reason it’s underrated is because it’s underseen.” 

—Wael Khairy, The Cinephile Fix

“There are more informative films about the Israel-Palestine conflict, but not many this original.”

—Stephen Dalton, The Hollywood Reporter

It's a rarity to see Arab men speaking about their emotions so openly on screen, and, as such, the film challenges deeply entrenched stereotypes about masculinity, particularly in the Middle East.

—Zahra Hankir, Middle East Eye

“As Ghost Hunting demonstrates, the transformation of a victim or a powerless bystander into a storyteller is one of the most meaningful gestures that cinema has to offer trauma survivors… To tell is no simple matter… sometimes it’s the bravest thing you can do.”

—Ela Bittencourt, Reverse Shot (magazine of the Museum of the Moving Image)

about Wadee Hanani (assistant director)

Wadee is a documentary filmmaker and videographer passionate about real stories and human connection. With a background in journalism, and working across formats (from feature documentaries to short-form video) for education, web, and media—he crafts intimate, thoughtful narratives through image and sound. Currently based in France, Wadee collaborates with artists, educators, and entrepreneurs to amplify their voices.

film info:

Documentary directed by Raed Andoni | 2017 | 93 minutes | Arabic with English subtitles

Age rating: 18+

Content notes: reenactment & testimonies of torture in israeli detention centres; references of sexual harassment; profanities