Children of Shatila (NY Premiere)
Mai Masri, Lebanon, 1998, 50m (video, doc)
Fifty years after the exile of their grandparents from Palestine, the children of the Shatila camp attempt to come to terms with the overwhelming realities of being refugees in a place that has survived massacres, sieges and starvation. Documentary filmmaker Mai Masri focuses on the lives of two Palestinian children: Farah, age 11, and Issa, age 12. Given video cameras, they express through the lens all the facets of their daily lives as well as their history. Their ideas and creativity guide the film at every stage. Out of their personal narratives evolves the story of the camp as a whole, and through their images and words, Farah and Issa articulate the feelings and hopes of their generation.
Preceded by:
Naim & Wadee'a (US Premiere)
Najwa Najjar, 1999, 20m (video, doc)
With beautiful archival footage of Yaffa in the 1930's and 40's, Naim & Wadee'a explores the social life of an upper middle class Palestinian couple who were forced in 1948 to leave their home. Their story and the emotional loss of home is recounted in voice-over by their three daughters.
And:
The Jahalin (World Premiere)
Talya Ezrahi and Lewie Kerr, UK, 2000, 29m (video, doc)
A young Israeli woman travels into the West Bank to meet a Bedouin family who have lived for generations in the desert hills around Jerusalem. Through intimate interviews and striking vŽritŽ scenes, she documents their struggle against the encroaching Jewish settlement of Maale Adumim: a struggle for land and cultural autonomy that has culminated in a massive eviction campaign by the government and the gradual relocation of the entire tribe to a fenced-in site bordering Jerusalem's largest garbage dump.
Mon June 26: 6:00;
Wed June 28: 8:45;
Thurs June 29: 3:30