The Lingering Now

The famous Brazilian director multiplies the characters of Homer's The Odyssey to explore the battles that exiles, refugees, migrants and displaced people are experiencing today. 

What can fiction written 3,000 years ago tell us about the world of the 21st century? The stories of Ulysses and his ten years of travel after the Trojan War; those of Penelope, his wife, who defends Ithaca from the invaders; those of Telemachus, his son, who searches for his lost father: all have a connection with those who today cross their borders in search of a safe land.

The Lingering Now, the third part of a trilogy called Our Odyssey by its creator, the Brazilian director Christiane Jatahy, merges the languages ​​of cinema and theater, and breaks down the borders between fiction and reality, to tell the stories of refugees, migrants and displaced people from Palestine, Lebanon, Greece, South Africa, the Amazon and Rio de Janeiro.

Each of these protagonists recites the verses from The Odyssey, by Homer, which in their lives have reached a real dimension. This is a production by the Création Studio Théâtre National Wallonie in Brussels, Belgium, together with the SESC in São Paulo, Brazil, in co-production with Fundación Teatro a Mil, among others.

Artistic profile
Creation, staging and direction of the film: Christiane Jatahy, based on Homer's The Odyssey | Artistic collaboration, scene design, lights: Thomas Walgrave | Collaboration and coordination of the company: Henrique Mariano | Director of photography: Paulo Camacho | Sound: Alex Fostier | Music: Vitor Araújo and Domenico Lancelotti | Cast: Faisal Abu Alhayjaa, Manuela Afonso, Abed Aidy, Omar Al Jbaai, Abbas Abdulelah Al'Shukra, Maroine Amimi, Vitor Araújo, Bepkapoy, Joseph Gaylard, Noji Gaylard, Renata Hardy, Ramyar Hussaini, Iketi Kayapó, Irengri Kayapó, Ojo Kayapó, Laerte Késsimos, Kroti, Yara Ktaish, Pitchou Lambo, Abdul Lanjesi, Mélina Martin, Jovial Mbenga, Nambulelo Meolongwara, Linda Michael Mkhwanasi, Mbali Ncube, Pravinah Nehwati, Ibrahim Nghnghia, Maria Laura Nogueira, Jehad Obeid, Ranin Odeh, Blessing Opoko, Phana, Pykatire, Corina Sabbas, Leon David Salazar, Mustafa Sheta, Frank Sithole, Fepa Teixeira, Ivan Tirtiaux, Ahmed Tobasi | A creation of Studio Théâtre National Wallonie, Brussels, Belgium, and the SESC of São Paulo, Brazil. Co-producers: Festival d’Avignon (Avignon/France), Ruhrtriennale (Germany), Comédie de Genève (Geneva/Switzerland), Teatro Odeón de l’Europe (Paris/France), Teatro Nacional São Luiz (Lisbon/Portugal), Le Maillon-Théâtre de Strasbourg Scène européenne (Strasbourg, France), Festival Montaña Alta (Girona, Spain), Santiago a Mil Festival, Riksteatern (Sweden). Supported by: The Freedom Theater (Palestine), Outreach Foundation (South Africa).

THIS WORK IS PRESENTED AT GAM IN THE FRAMEWORK OF THE XXVII EDITION OF THE SANTIAGO A MIL FESTIVAL 2020