Like an Event in a Dream Dreamt by Another—Insomnia
Single-channel FHD video (color), 2-channel sound, 33'48". 2025
Insomnia is the second iteration of Like An Event In A Dream Dreamt By Another. It explores how Palestinian players transform RPG games into acts of defiance and worldbuilding, not as escapism but as survival. In Palestine, where sleeplessness is imposed by the constant hum of drones, wakefulness becomes both a curse and a battleground. Rejecting the role of an NPCs in a rigged game, Palestinian modders hack, rewrite, and reclaim their narrative, asserting their agency through play. The game is no longer a colonial fantasy; it is a contested ground where Return is the endgame, and resistance is written into the code. The film traces the lineage of colonial violence from Turtle Island to Palestine in Los Santos.
Commissioned by the 14th Mercosul Biennial - Estalo.