A short film that quickly takes up full-length space in one’s heart, al-Hamid’s work will be shown as part of the Institut du Monde Arabe’s upcoming exhibition program for ‘Parfumes d’Orient’ in Paris.

They say the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, and Iraqi-born, UK-based filmmaker Ja’far ‘Abd al-Hamid’s short film Tabbouleh & Pie takes that concept one step further. What if two people from completely different backgrounds were to find their friendship through their taste buds?

I’ve often thought that if opposing cultures, fighting for the same lands or rights, were to sit down to a meal together — featuring foods from each side prepared with love and care — they would find an agreement before the banquet was over. And it’s nice to see in al-Hamid’s work that idea.

Kicking off on September 26th and running through to February 11th, 2024, the Institut du Monde Arabe will present an exhibition titled ‘Parfumes d’Orient’ — ‘Perfumes of the Orient’. It’s a comprehensive journey through the scents and taste, and sights, which makes up what we think as the Orient. Though the word carries strange connotations in English-speaking countries, it is still the easiest way to describe a part of the world that both intrigues us and frightens us (the latter if we were to listen to the news).

The exhibition is describes on their IMA website as: “A fabulous journey, discovering oriental perfumes and their history, along a journey of more than 1000 square meters, mixing ancient and contemporary works, punctuated with surprising odorous devices and scents specially created by perfumer Christopher Sheldrake.”

The film, Tabbouleh & Pie will be screened as one of the works, which also include Mounia Meddour's Legacy Cuisine, a documentary on the culinary traditions of Morocco, which are passed down orally through mothers and daughters, by a filmmaker I personally adore — remember Papicha? There will be guided tours of the show, workshops, talks and screenings. As a fragrance fan, I think a visit to Paris is overdue.

For the full program, check out the IMA’s website. And while we await his next work, a London-based Arab community romcom feature, following are the credits for al-Hamid’s Tabbouleh & Pie.

Tabbouleh & Pie
Logline: The life of retired insurance manager Richard is thrown into chaos by the arrival of a new neighbour.  

Duration: 13 mins.
Country: UK
Year of Production: 2020
Language: English

Starring: Ahlam Arab, Paul Ridley & Charlie Carter

Producer: Arij Al-Soltan
Writer - Director - Editor: Ja'far 'Abd al-Hamid
Cinematography: Alfie Biddle
Music: Sarah Warne
Production Design: Denisa Dumitrescu
Art Direction: Gail Pearce
Sound Mixer: Jon Gibson
Sound Designer: Dino Sofos
VFX: Peter Shindler
Colourist: Harry Conquest
Make-up: Tanya McGeever

Images and video courtesy of the filmmaker, used with permission.