Sheherazade Words Against Death

The collected work known as One Thousand and One Nights survived for centuries through generations of Arab storytellers and is now recognized as an integral part of world literature In this filmed performance storytellerfilmmaker Nacer Khemir sits on chair in the middle of a dimly lit stage and deploys the magic of words to take us on a journey of the imagination This simple setup may not seem like much but it offers the listener an extraordinarily colorful experience and brilliantly emphasizes the oral nature of the work As we listen to the expertly told stories we are equally charmed by their intricacies and entranced by their interconnectedness Even though Khemir illustrates some of the stories with beautifully filmed sequences the audiences ability to listen is paramount here Sheherazade used words to avoid impending death Khemir uses the art of storytelling to breathe a new life into this ancient masterwork