Between the cities of Nazareth and Nablus, in the north of the West Bank, lies the city of Jenin. Perhaps most famous for its strident armed resistance during the Second Intifada a decade ago, Jenin has changed significantly since then.
Proof of this is the upcoming Cinema Jenin Film Festival, set to kick off on Aug. 5 for three days. With less than a month left before the opening night, there is still much work to be done.
The cinema, first opened in 1957, was a center of cultural life in the city until it closed down during the Second Intifada. During this time, Jenin experienced some of the worst fighting within the West Bank; the local community is still recuperating. A refugee camp of more than 30,000 people lies adjacent to the city, of which 40 percent is under the age of 15.
The uplifting story of one man inspired the renovation of the cinema. Five years ago, Ismail Khatib lost his 11-year-old son to Israeli gunfire, after a soldier mistook his plastic toy gun for a rifle. Khatib then decided to donate his son’s organs to Israeli recipients. This story inspired the German documentary filmmaker Marcus Vetter to direct the acclaimed documentary, “The Heart of Jenin,” which will be screened on the opening night of the festival.
Khatib wanted to work within the community, so he decided to open a cultural center for children. His story motivated the children to make their own films. Only when he realized there was no place to show these films did the idea to renovate the old cinema emerge.
With the help of Vetter, Khatib has assembled a team of local Palestinian workers and German volunteers, and for the past two years, this group has been working tirelessly to restore the cinema to its former glory.
The cinema is a grand affair. Set to seat around 400 people on original restored chairs between the first level and the balcony, red velvet curtains will open to reveal state-of-the-art equipment, some of which was donated by Roger Waters, founder of Pink Floyd.
However, for the people of Jenin, the cinema represents more than curtains and chairs. Its restoration is a symbol of the stability and peace currently dominating the city.
In recent years, four Israeli settlements in the region were evacuated and the Palestinian Authority has created strong and able security forces. Even the number of checkpoints has decreased, albeit slightly. Still, the city remains under the control of the IDF, and therefore is subject to night-raids and frequent border hassle. For instance, a week ago, German volunteers spent 11 hours trying to cross the Allinbi bridge to reach Jenin.
Fakhri Hamad, project manager of the cinema, told Daily News Egypt that while the cinema is not accepting any Israeli donations, there has been real support from Palestinians living in Israel.
He says the cinema is also open to the idea of showing Israeli films: “Israeli films made by filmmakers who believe in Palestinian rights and fighting against the Israeli occupation of Palestine will be welcome.”
In this regard, Hamad hopes the cinema will be, “a new form of Palestinian resistance under occupation.” The main goal for Hamad, however, is for the people of Jenin to ”have a place where they can find some entertainment at reasonable prices, and at the same time…feel safe and secure sending their kids to learn something.”
What is still needed for the success of the cinema is strong regional support.
Egypt remains the heart of Arab cinema and is still the largest producer of Arabic language films in the world. Egyptian film “Hassan and Morqos,” staring Omar Sharif and Adel Imam, will also be screen on the opening night.
Earlier this week, Hamad and a team of German filmmakers documenting the process of organizing the festival came to Cairo to court Egyptian sponsorship, and hopefully secure the attendance of Egyptian stars at the opening ceremony. Unfortunately, the group has so far found it difficult to meet with Egyptian film industrials.
Part of the problem has to do with the Egyptian cultural boycott of Israel, travel hindrances that haven’t been resolved and their general cautiousness towards working around issues. Despite these setbacks, Hamad is optimistic, simply hoping to witness the fruition of a dream that has been a long time coming.
For more information about Cinema Jenin, visit www.cinemajenin.org.
