Palestinian Cinema: A Phoenix Rising From The Ashes

Palestinian cinema has always been obstructed by political events, which have served as a major obstacle along with the lack of cinema-industry fundamentals in the country however, one can argue that these very factors are the vital components responsible for the success and proliferation of Palestinian films and filmmakers.

The first Palestinian film production was a short documentary which was made in 1935 and its main focus was King Suud Ben Abdel Aziz’s visit to Palestine. It was produced by Ibrahim Sirhan and the result was a silent film that was presented at the Nabi Rubin Festival In 1945 Sirhan established the Arab Film Company production studio together with Ahmad Hilmi al-Kilani and the company launched the feature film Holiday Eve, which was followed by preparations for the next film A Storm at Home. The films themselves were lost in 1948, when Sirhan had to flee Jaffa after the town was bombarded.

Since the birth of Palestinian cinema there have been numerous complications and obstacles which stood in the way of it becoming a major cultural phenomenon. Traditional values at the time and censorship were two of those obstacles. The British Mandate censored the screening of films that contained even mild violence or any form of incitement resulting in diminishing the personal voice and passionate agenda of the films.

Another challenge arose in 1948 when the northern part of Palestine was occupied by Israel and the prodcution of films ceased for 19 years. Since then and after overcoming the struggles it was faced with, Palestine cinema has prospered and is now established worldwide. International directors too have taken an interest in the region including Jean-Luc Goddard.

Michel Khleifi directed Wedding in Galilee in 1987 starring Mohamed Ali El Akili and Bushra Karaman and it was awarded the Cannes Film Festival International Critics Prize at Cannes in 1987. The film takes place in a Palestinian village ruled by an Israeli military governor. It challenges the concept of authority and traditionalism and the result is a somewhat exotic picture with lyrical and extravagantly detailed portrayal of the Palestinians. Wedding in Galilee is only one of many films created in order to expose the suffering of the Palestinian people and their resistance.

In 2005, Hany Abu-Assad directed Paradise Now, starring Lubna Azabal and Kais Nashif. The film sees two men preparing for a suicide attack in Israel.

Paradise Now won a Golden Globe for best foreign language film and was the first Palestinian film to be nominated for an Academy Award, giving the the film and the director worldwide recognition. In an interview at the Golden Globes Abu-Assad explained that:

‘”The film is an artistic point of view of that political issue. The politicians want to see it as black and white, good and evil, and art wants to see it as a human thing”

Another award winning production was Maria’s Grotto, made in 2007 and directed by Buthina Cannan Khoury. The documentary is a gripping portrait of women, whose lives were dictated by a moral code. The film explored issues concerned with honour killings in Palestine and won Silver Muhr Award at the Dubai International Film Festival.

Divine Intervention (2002), The Olive Harvest,(2003) Taste the Revolution (2008) and Till When? (2008) are only a few of the debut films made in the last decade.

Other world renowned film directors who have made and are still making major cotributions to what Palestinian cinema is today include Osama Al-Zain, Cherien Dabis, Annemarie Jacir, Elia Suleiman, Michel Khleifi and Rashid Masharawi amongst many. In the acting world Mohammad Bakri, alongside his son Saleh Bakri,Yasmine Al Marsi and Ashraf Farah to name a few are considered the key players in Palestinian cinema.

Palestinian filmmakers continue to amaze and astonish viewers from around the world. Since the advent of the London Palestine Film Festival there are new faces and names which will undoubtedly leave a lasting mark on film critics and enthusiasts. The festival features typically and extraordinary selection of documentaries, fiction, art, and experimental work centred around political, historical and artistic issues.

For information on Palestinian cinema visit http://palestinefilm.org

Words by Serafima Serafimova