A Sun In The Palm
2026
34 min 30 sec
single channel video in 4K
English, Arabic, Italian; English subtitles
A Sun In the Palm is an experimental art film - an abstract, atmospheric and deep journey into connection through sound and moving image, filmed in Cairo, Sinai, Upper Egypt (EGY), Île-de-France (FR) and the Dalarna region (SW).
The film is divided in 5 acts, each showcasing the authentic practices of the five protagonists that build the narration, embodying one different perspective on connection: to God and the body, to nature and the soft heart of life, to the self through beauty, to others through love, conflict, acceptance and gentleness and to the things of the world through empathy and unity. It is a narrative, abstract and spiritual elaboration, it aims to engage emotionally, hoping to leave the viewer with questions that can remain un-answered. The film is the result of a one year artistic/curatorial research residency on Islamic spirituality and ritual in connection to contemporary art, a hybrid experimental research project carried out at the Seldon Institute of Chicago. The shooting eye is photographic. Besides the main narrative, a sense of connection and unity pervade the whole film, visually. Messages overlap and layer.
The film is permeated by references to Islamic rituals and to some passages of the Qur’an, which are left subtle and silent, only perceivable by those who know and seek, a choice made to make the piece universal.
2026
34 min 30 sec
single channel video in 4K
English, Arabic, Italian; English subtitles
A Sun In the Palm is an experimental art film - an abstract, atmospheric and deep journey into connection through sound and moving image, filmed in Cairo, Sinai, Upper Egypt (EGY), Île-de-France (FR) and the Dalarna region (SW).
The film is divided in 5 acts, each showcasing the authentic practices of the five protagonists that build the narration, embodying one different perspective on connection: to God and the body, to nature and the soft heart of life, to the self through beauty, to others through love, conflict, acceptance and gentleness and to the things of the world through empathy and unity. It is a narrative, abstract and spiritual elaboration, it aims to engage emotionally, hoping to leave the viewer with questions that can remain un-answered. The film is the result of a one year artistic/curatorial research residency on Islamic spirituality and ritual in connection to contemporary art, a hybrid experimental research project carried out at the Seldon Institute of Chicago. The shooting eye is photographic. Besides the main narrative, a sense of connection and unity pervade the whole film, visually. Messages overlap and layer.
The film is permeated by references to Islamic rituals and to some passages of the Qur’an, which are left subtle and silent, only perceivable by those who know and seek, a choice made to make the piece universal.
Act 1 (The Body, The Attempts, The Trials) is a choreographic meditation by dancer Islam El Arabi inspired by ritual gesture. Movement, taken from Wudu and Islamic prayer, becomes an ongoing attempt toward connection, time becomes non-time and moments of grace are unforeseeable. The performance is an intimate and deeply personal negotiation between faith, embodiment, and the self.
In Act 2 (The Soft Heart In Everything), Moussa Eid and Ahmed Goma, members of the Jabaleya bedouin tribe in the Sinai mountains and owners of a guesthouse for travellers, express opposite yet complementary views on personal responsibility within a close-knit community and, extending further on a spiritual level, on connecting to the world through the essence of life. One through service, purification, and connection to the soft heart of life; the other through separation, self-care, and the creation of beauty for oneself and others. Their perspectives gently reveal the limitlessness and multifaceted nature of individual responsibility and its role in shaping our connection to the world.
In Act 3 (We Are From The Same Womb) the sculptural work of visual artist Ahmed Yasser carries a reflection on brotherhood, love and conflict. The sculptures, stones Yasser picked from the desert on which he painted the faces of his siblings, are brought back to the desert, where a symbolic act of reconnection takes place, offering a reflection on repair and rupture, as a way to fight against separation and avoidance in our late capitalistic times.
Act 4 (You Will Not Drown) centers around Samir Shehata’s poem Be Gentle. Taking place in and around Shehata’s watch store, it invites forgiveness, gentleness, and acceptance toward one another as gestures every human being deserves by nature of their imperfection. It offers a reflection on how mistakes can — and perhaps should — be regarded, touching on life, death, and the way we come to face our future.
Act 5 (Oh Night, Lead Me To Undisputable Truth) expands the reflection on connection beyond a human-centered perspective and into the plane of objects and things, subtly articulating a neo-materialist view while questioning human agency and responsibility toward the world.
Production team:
Director & Camera: Chiara Bastoni (IT)Sound: Rasmus Jon (DK); Chiara Bastoni (IT); Lucila Pelleriti (ARG)
Editing & VFX: Lucila Pelleriti (ARG)
Grading: Brian Raaby (DK)
Graphic Design: Amr Bakr (EGY)
Graphic Design animation: Mostafa Helal (EGY)
Art Management: Marta Bandini; Marzia Azzariti (IT)
Production & Funding: Seldon Institute (US)
Music:
Act 1: All In Circles - Written and composed by Shida Shahabi (SW)
Act 2: Madre - Written and composed by C+C=Maxigross (IT)
Act 3: Cereal Rudestorm - Composed and produced by Bjarki (ISL)
Act 4: Luxembourg Garden - Composed and produced by Vanity Productions (DK)
Act 5: Let It Go - Written and Composed by Peter Broderick (US)
End Titles: Irhamna - Composed and produced by Anthony Sahyoun (LB)
Act 1: All In Circles - Written and composed by Shida Shahabi (SW)
Act 2: Madre - Written and composed by C+C=Maxigross (IT)
Act 3: Cereal Rudestorm - Composed and produced by Bjarki (ISL)
Act 4: Luxembourg Garden - Composed and produced by Vanity Productions (DK)
Act 5: Let It Go - Written and Composed by Peter Broderick (US)
End Titles: Irhamna - Composed and produced by Anthony Sahyoun (LB)
Cast:
Act 1: Islam El Arabi (EGY)
Act 2: Ahmed Goma; Moussa Eid (EGY)
Act 3: Ahmed Yasser (EGY)
Act 4: Samir Sehata (EGY)
Act 5: (Chiara Bastoni) (IT)
Wider research frame:
A Sun In The Palm (2026) was shot, directed and produced by Chiara Bastoni during the course of a year-long artistic-curatorial residency on ritual and contemporary art at the Seldon Institute of Chicago, which culminated in an exhibition titled On Rock-Soft Matters (more here).
Seldon provides a platform for thinkers, entrepreneurs and artists to engage their work with new audiences within expert and public communities to facilitate a more relevant and nuanced understanding of Islam.
The film brings forth foundational principles of Islam as elaborated on throughout three months of ritual immersion. The underlying principle consists in an understanding of Islamic spirituality as a philosophy for human flourishing. Including a non-Muslim perspective, yet one united by similar values and spiritual perspectives, was an intuition that founder of Sedon Dina Rehab had, to bring forth a message of universality and union.
The research project is conceived of as ongoing, durational and iterative.
“Hello Ms. Bastoni,
I was fortunate to have a friend invite me to see A Sun in the Palm this past Saturday. I assented, knowing nothing about the film. I am so happy I did.
Your film is transcendental. I have not seen anything quite like it before: the combination of human connections, imagery, and movement created an experience that was a kind of magical sensory meditation. I've been replaying parts of it since: Ahmed talking about time breathing, the idea of digging wells to make amends, the way the film demonstrated that motion pictures and still photography are very close siblings.
By the fourth act, I was no longer even thinking about the film as I watched it, but simply experiencing it with an entirely open mind and open heart as its themes and images and people washed over me. And minutes later, the watchmaker poet recited "Be Gentle," and everything in life briefly paused and was perfect.
Thank you so much for this film!
Best regards”
- J.D. (journalist, Illinois Answers Project)