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06/12/2008
Voices of Palestine: Summer 2008 Film Series
Voices of Palestine: Summer 2008 Film Series
Wednesdays, 25 June – August 13, 6:30 pm
The Jerusalem Fund and the Center for Contemporary Arab Studies at Georgetown University are pleased to present their annual summer film series highlighting recent documentary and feature films from and about Palestine that explore the social, cultural, and political complexities of Palestinian life and identity.
All films begin promptly at 6:30 p.m. All films are in English or have English subtitles. Attendance is free and open to the public. No RSVP required; however, space is limited. For directions and parking information, click here. For all other inquiries, call the Jerusalem Fund at (202) 338-1958, or email info@thejerusalemfund.org.
Wednesday 25 June, 6:30 pm
The Presence of Absence in the Ruins of Kafr Bir’im Director John Halaka/60 minutes/2007
Shot on location in the ruins and cemetery of Kafr Bir’im, a Palestinian village located in the Northern Galilee, the film introduces the viewer to Mr. Ibrahim Essa, an elderly poet who survived the ethnic cleansing of his village in 1948. Through his narrative and poetry, Ibrahim Issa recounts his experiences as a youth in the village, the hardships of a life in exile and the intense emotional, physical and historical connections to the land that he shares with the 5,000,000 Palestinians who currently live in the Palestinian Diaspora.
Wednesday 2 July, 6:30 pm
Open Heart Director Claire Fowler/22 minutes/2006
Four years ago Iham and Jihad lost their third child on the operating table. Now their 9 month old son Jamal’s life is threatened by congenital heart disease. With the aid of the charity The Palestine Children’s Relief Fund (PCRF), a British surgeon’s arrival in Palestine offers hope for the future. But first the Samara family must travel from their home in the West Bank and through Israeli checkpoints to Makassed hospital in Jerusalem, before the real journey can even begin.
With Blood (Bidam) Director Juliana Fredman, Dan O’Reilly-Rowe/57 minutes/2006
Bidam (With Blood) follows ordinary people’s efforts to overcome extraordinary obstacles in pursuit of routine health care in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Shot on location with patients and health workers over seven months in an intimate verite style, this film offers a thought-provoking, compassionate perspective on life in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. With Blood weaves together several storylines, following subjects whose personal situations illustrate aspects of the central theme of health care under military occupation.
Wednesday 9 July, 6:30 pm
Kemo Sabe Director Rana Kazkaz/12 minutes/2005
Kemo Sabe tells the story of Yussef, a six year old boy who longs to be the Cowboy instead of the Indian on the playground. Daring to challenge the role his race has determined, Yussef learns the playground rules of becoming a Cowboy: he needs blue jeans and a belt.
Driving to Zigzigland Director Nicole Ballivian/92 minutes/2006
A chronicle of a day in the life of a Palestinian cab driver in Los Angeles, Driving to Zigzigland portrays the social struggle of the Arab immigrant in post-9/11 America. An unceasing flow of passengers ride in Bashar's taxi and give the Arab cabbie the run-around on issues that deal with suicide bombers, George Bush, Cat Stevens, the war in Iraq, music, and world geography. Shot in Los Angeles and Palestine, based on true stories.
Wednesday 16 July, 6:30 pm
USA Vs. Al-Arian Director Line Halvorsen/99 minutes/2007
USA Vs. Al-Arian is an intimate family portrait that documents the Palestinian-American family Al-Arian’s desperate attempt to fight terrorism charges leveled by the US government. The film follows Sami Al-Arian’s wife Nahla and their 5 children throughout his 6-month long trial. It is an intimate family portrait that documents the strain brought on by the trial, a battle waged both in court and in the media.
Wednesday 23 July, 6:30 pm
Swings Director Basil Ramsis/98 minutes/2007
Swings—Marajeeh is a feature documentary about the lives of Palestinian women on both sides of the 1949 Green Line. The film profiles a series of Palestinian women as they relate to the Israeli occupation and to gender issues in different Palestinian cities and towns. The film was shot during the summer of 2006 in refugee camps in Gaza and in Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Nablus, Jericho and Hebron, as well as Kafr Kassem, Haifa, Nazareth and the Naqab desert.
Wednesday 30 July, 6:30 pm
The Color of Olives Director Carolina Rivas/97 minutes/2006/
"With its contemplative tone and haunting images, The Color of Olives may be the most peaceful documentary ever to arrive from a war zone." - New York Times
From Mexican director Carolina Rivas and cinematographer Daoud Sarhandi comes this elegant and visually breathtaking new film about the Palestinian experience. The Amer family lives surrounded by the infamous West Bank Wall, where their daily lives are dominated by electrified fences, locked gates and a constant swarm of armed soldiers.
This unique and intimate documentary shares their private world, allowing a glimpse of the constant struggles and the small, endearing details that sustain them. The Color Of Olives is an artistic and beautifully affecting reflection on the effects of racial segregation, the meaning of borders and the absurdity of war.
Wednesday 6 August, 6:30 pm
Secret Hebron: The School Run Director Donna Baillie/28 minutes/2003
This film reveals the plight of young Palestinian children in the West Bank city of Hebron who regularly risk being attacked by Israeli soldiers as they try to go to school each morning. The film shows kids scrabbling across the roofs of buildings in an effort to avoid the soldiers below.
Jerusalem: The East Side Story Director Mohammed Alatar/57 minutes/2008
The latest shipment of history in Jerusalem is the Israeli occupation. In 1948, the western part of the city fell under Israeli control; in 1967, the eastern part fell under Israeli occupation. Since then, Israel has pursued a policy of Judaizing the city, aiming to achieve “Jewish demographic superiority.” Part of this policy is to drive Palestinian Muslims and Christians out of the city; denying their presence, history, and ties to the land. Jerusalem: The East Side Story takes you on a journey exposing Israel’s policy to gain supremacy and hegemony over the city and its inhabitants.
Wednesday 13 August, 6:30 pm
The Roof Director Kamal Al Jafari/61 minutes/2007
The Roof is a poetic and political that records Palestinian director Kamal Al Jafari's journey back to his family and homeland and explores his firm conviction that "home" can be a feeling as well as an actual place. The unfinished roof of the Al Jafari house in Ramle acts as a symbol of the enduring presence of the past as Al Jafari explores his family's lives. Al Jafari's voyage is not so much a definite search for memories as an attempt to view the present as a living past. Past and present collide as his camera pans slowly along the walls of damaged or ruined homes.
For individual listings of each film, please click here.
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