Majid Al-Remaihi's film Perishable Idol explores Gulf history through a forgotten deity on Failaka Island

Majid Al-Remaihi, a Qatari artist and filmmaker born in 1995 in Doha, focuses on the historical conflicts of the Gulf region and their aftermath. His upcoming 2024 film, Perishable Idol, takes place on Failaka Island, which was permanently deserted during the Gulf War in the 1990s. The narrative highlights Inzak, a neglected Dilmunian deity whose shrine once graced the island's coastline. After five millennia of silence, this spirit experienced a total absence of humans post-evacuation. Years later, a local archaeologist revisits the island, where the spirit requests a body crafted from dates, enabling its transformation into a decaying idol. The island's scenery symbolizes this decay, featuring ionic columns from an ancient Greek temple alongside graffiti on concrete bunkers proclaiming 'FREE KUWAIT.' Al-Remaihi's work explores how land reflects the effects of power through changing borders, population displacements, and environmental degradation, with his film serving as a contemplation of Failaka Island's complex history.