Inspired by Kenneth Anger's Scorpio Rising (1963), Blessed Blessed Oblivion weaves together a portrait of male thug culture in East Jerusalem, manifested in barbershops, autoshops and body building. At the same time psychologizing and seduced by her subject, the artist finds herself in a double bind, a dilemma that resonates with the muddled desire that animates her protagonist as he drifts from abject rants to declamations of heroic poetry or unashamed self-praise.





Jumana Manna (born in New Jersey, lives and works in Jerusalem and Berlin) primarily uses film/video and sculpture to explore historical narratives, nationalism and subcultural communities. Her films are attempts at weaving together portraits of morally dubious characters or events, and her sculptural practice employs a language of minimalism and abstraction to reformulate familiar objects into a state of ambiguity, navigating between negation and seduction. Manna holds a BFA from the National Academy of the Arts, Oslo, and an MA in aesthetics and politics from California Institute of the Arts.



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Camera & Editing: Jumana Manna





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Screenings & Awards:



• Toronto Palestine Film Festival, 2013;​
• London Palestine Film Festival, 2013;
• International Film Festival Rotterdam, NL, 2013;
• ​Grimstad Short Film Festival, NO, 2012.​