The Only Cinema in Jenin Re-Opens After 22 Years

The only cinema in the West Bank town of Jenin was closed in 1987 during the first intifada and after 22 years is now expected to be up and running by March 2010. The Federal Foreign Office’s “Future for Palestine” initiative has donated almost 172,000 Euro towards the cinema’s reconstruction. The project partner is the non-profit “Cinema Jenin” association, and the project itself was launched by Marcus Vetter, a German documentary producer. In August, The Cinematheque will host the city’s first international film festival, Cinema Jenin, led by Fakhri Hammad and Ismail Khatib.

Ismail Khatib is well known to many in the Israeli peace camp. Four years ago tragedy struck as his 11-year-old son Ahmed was killed. Khatib donated Ahmed’s organs to Israeli recipients, a decision that shocked his friends and family. He started raising funds for the renovation of the theatre and when asked he explained in plain words:

‘‘Marcus was making a film about Ahmed, and we were walking around the city. When we went past the old cinema, he asked me if there was still a theater in the city and I said there wasn’t. That’s when we decided to take on the mission.’’
Marcus Vetter is the producer of the documentary “The Heart of Jenin”, which tells the story of the life and shocking death of the Palestinian boy shot dead by the Israeli army in the Jenin refugee camp in 2005. On 9th February the film received the Cinema for Peace Award for Best Documentary.

In December 2008 the building was cleaned and cleared of debris. The cinema is due to be officially opened at a major event in March 2010.

“Cinema Jenin is more than cinema for us. It’s a centre of culture, and that’s why the films we’ll bring here must be meaningful, so people can learn from them.” – Ismail Khatib

Words by Serafima Serafimova