Heiny Srour

Heiny Srour (; born March 23, 1945 Srour advocated for women's rights through her films, her writing, and by funding other filmmakers.

Career Born in 1945 in Beirut to a Jewish Zionist family, Srour studied sociology at the American University of Beirut and then completed a doctorate in social anthropology at the Sorbonne. Her first film, Bread of Our Mountains (1968, 3 minutes, 16mm) was lost during the Lebanese Civil War. was selected to compete at the Cannes Film Festival, making Srour the first Arab woman to have a film selected for the international festival. It is believed that her documentary film The Hour of Liberation Has Arrived was actually the first film by any female filmmaker to be screened at the festival. Srour cites Federico Fellini's film 8½ as a significant inspiration for the film. Srour's first feature film, Leila and the Wolves utilizes the art of documentary with the intricacies of Arabian mythology. Although fictional, she employs a symbolism that parallels an authentic narrative constructed from experience. Archival footage is woven into the composition to strategically emulate the complex, historical narratives. Further, Srour shares a feminist perspective that echoes the colonial past. In a 2019 interview with Mary Jirmanus Saba, Srour said "when I saw 8½, I realized that cinema was a very powerful medium that could express everything I wanted to say. But my main motivation in overcoming so many hurdles was feminist."

Srour holds anti-Zionist views and sees herself as a Lebanese Arab before being Jewish.

Awards and accolades Srour was the first female Arab filmmaker to have a film, Saat El Tahrir Dakkat or The Hour of Liberation Has Arrived, considered for the Cannes Film Festival. Gleaning much of her stories from those of her ancestors, Srour often credits her grandmother for the success and recognition of her films.

Filmography Short films and documentaries Bread Of Our Mountains (1968, 3 minutes) The Singing Sheikh (1991, 10 minutes, video) Rising Above – Women of Vietnam (1997) director and producer The Eyes of the Heart (1998, 52 minutes, video) Women of Vietnam (1998, 52 minutes, video) Woman Global Strike 2000 (2000, video)

Feature films The Hour of Liberation Has Arrived (1974, 62 minutes, 16mm) director, editor, and scriptwriter director and scriptwriter