Ursula Biemann 2008 docu 40 min.
This fascinating, highly stylised film essay explores the logic of the refugee camp as a form of extraterritoriality ruled by International Law. Over some 60 years, millions of Palestinians have created a civil life within the restricted space of the camp: a space designed as an interim solution. Biemann turns to the state of these societies to query a cluster of ideas (legal, symbolic, urban, mythological, historical) surrounding the idea of “the camp” in philosophy and jurisprudence. Engaging innovatively with the thought of Giorgio Agamben, Walter Benjamin, Hannah Arendt, and others, her piece shows the “exceptional” life compelling Palestinians to configure a distinctive, perhaps prescient, model of society and political identity that transcends (of necessity) the parameters of traditional nation states. Biemann’s film combines eye opening interviews with found and documentary footage to convey a conceptual as well as an aesthetic sense of the “conditions of exception” that describe this postnational mode of being.
Supported by Filmlab
A music video based on a meeting between the musicians CAK and Saaleek. The song is performed in Arabic and Danish, and takes us around Ramallah as well as the refugee camp Al Amari. www.youtube.com
Suhel Nafar & Jacqueline Reem Salloum 2011 fiction 7 min.
Yala to the Moon is a delightful short that follows Aseel, a young girl who peddles CDs on the streets of the West Bank and uses her vivid imagination to magically remake the world around her… www.youtube.com
by Fernando Romanazzo, Cristian Pirovano, docu 74 min. Argentina / Palestine 2017
Language Arabic, Spanish with English subtitles
Production companies Aqueronte Producciones, Palestine Football Association (PFA)
Trailer: www.youtube.com
The film focuses on the story of seven characters, which are connected to the world of football in one way or another. Through their daily lives, we get to know their bond with the sport, their activities and the problems they have to face due to the occupation by Israel. Even though they are constantly affected by Israel’s subjugation of Palestine, they manage to survive and endure all sorts of issues in order to enjoy one of their biggest passions: football.
Richard Mosse 2005 docu 7 min.
Ya’ni Intifada explores meanings of the word Intifada not generally known in the west. We certainly hear the word almost daily on television news and in newspapers, but we rarely ask ourselves as to its precise meanings. Sure enough, intifada does mean “uprising”, but like many words in the Arabic language, it is also layered with other senses and connotations that can be quite removed from politics. Footage shot whilst driving between Gaza and the West Bank punctuates Mosse’s interviews conducted at Birzeit University near Ramallah during May 2005.
Najwa Najjar 2006 Drama 21 min.
Najwa Najjar’s multiaward winning short film is a tale of two lovers trying to cross divides to be together … they thought nothing could stop them. Ziyad, a Palestinian man who sells flowers in a nearby village is in love with Yasmine, a village girl. At night they meet in secret away from the disapproving villagers’ eyes. And while Yasmine’s parents are busy arranging her future, an unexpected development changes everyone’s lives. Yasmine’s Song is beautifully shot in rural Palestine and features captivating performances from some of Palestine’s finest actors (including Hesham Suleiman, Hanan Hillo, and Mohammad Bakri). The script’s subtle exploration of the challenges posed by social, political, cultural and physical barriers signals Najjar’s emergence as one of Palestine’s most promising writerdirectors.
Firas Khoury 2010 drama 32 min.
In Firas Khoury’s award winning short drama, the young Nizar is a devout but introverted altar boy, often mocked by his peers for his quirky ways and sartorial “errors” (these include a tendency to combine socks with sandals). When Nizar joins the other children on an annual Easter egg hunt and traditional competition in the village, his religious faith inspires a surprising degree of competitiveness. But when Nizar uncovers a “fake egg”, his Christian convictions are challenged. Khoury’s beautifully photographed debut is a sensitive cultural comedy that will captivate audiences of all ages. www.youtube.com
by Alaa Ashkar / Khaled Ibrahim, docu 70 min. Palestine 2017. Writer: Alaa Ashkar V
A Palestinian director living in France was about to start a film about the Palestinian memory inside Israel. Instead, haunted by a recent breakup with his French girlfriend, the director ends up wondering about his relation to women, his pursuit for happiness and his interest in Palestine. His journey becomes then one of self-reflection and self-discovery rather than a historical/sociological exploration.
Trailer: www.youtube.com
Palestinian director Alaa Ashkar, living in France, set out to create a documentary about the collective memory of Palestinians in Israel. The director decides to include his family in the filmmaking, resulting in an intimate story about the evolution of his identity from childhood within his protective family in the Galilee until adulthood through his travels.
by Razan AlSalah, US 2017 7 min.
She looks down at her virtual ghost marked with an X. “If I were walking, I would have found it, even if it’s not here anymore.” Oum Amin, a Palestinian grandmother returns to her hometown Haifa through Google Maps Streetview, today, the only way she can see Palestine. She returns to a time and place collapsed to unravel her story, a herstory untold. www.youtube.com
