São Paulo – The development of the Palestinian film industry and the nationalist-themed cinematic art of the country are subjects of the lecture titled Palestinian cinema yesterday and today, to be delivered on November 28th from 2 to 6pm in São Paulo. The event will be hosted by Arlene Clemesha, History and Arab Culture professor at the Arabic Language and Literature course of the University of São Paulo (USP). Registration is already open.
The USP professor’s lecture is part of the Art and Identity Cycle of the Research and Training Centre of Sesc São Paulo. The cycle discusses the relation between artistic production and nationalist and identity speeches across several regions and countries in the world.
One of the movies which will be discussed at the lecture is Al Makhdu’un (The dupes), directed by Tewfik Saleh, based on the Palestinian novel Men in the Sun, by writer Ghassan Kanafani. “It is a Palestinian movie, directed by an Egyptian and produced in Syria,” says the professor. Made in 1972, the film portrays the lives of three Palestinian refugees who hire a smuggler to help them cross the desert from Iraq to Kuwait, where they hope to find better living conditions.
“Kanafani was a very prominent Palestinian writer and activist. He was killed by a car bomb, in Beirut”, explains Clemesha. She stresses the fact that the film was produced at a pont Palestine had not developed a film industry yet.
“Palestinian cinema is part of a resurgence of the national movement. By 1967, Palestine was unable to produce films,” explains Clemesha, referring to the country’s political situation.
According to her, Palestinian film production could only thrive after the Oslo Accords. Signed in 1993 in Norway’s capital, by the then-leaders of the region, Palestinian Yasser Arafat and Israeli Isaac Rabin, the Oslo accords registered the leaders’ commitment in joining forces to seek peace between the two peoples. The agreements were mediated by former United States president Bill Clinton.
Clemesha says most films produced there are co-productions between Palestine and other countries. Among the films’ themes, one is recurring. “A constant element of this cinema is waiting. Waiting for the longed-for peace which never comes, for the State which cannot be built,” she explains.
The professor says Palestinian cinema also discuss people’s daily lives. “It talks about life in Palestinian conditions, feelings, community,” she says. Currently, she adds, documentaries are the most produced type of film in the country. “It requires less financing. Few directors can make the jump (into fiction),” she explains.
The professor also points out the quality of Palestinian actors. “Palestine has excellent professional actors, such as Mohammed Bakri and his three children, and actress Hiam Abbass,” she lists.
She also stresses that Palestinian films earn worldwide acclaim. “Palestinian cinema has represented the Arab film industry at the leading global festivals, such as Berlin, Cannes, Venice and Toronto”.
It is worth noting, however, that Egypt is the country with the largest film production in the Arab world. According to Clemesha, besides Egyptian and Palestinian films, Morocco’s and Tunisia’s works are also among the most influential of the region.
Service
Palestinian cinema yesterday and today
Date: November 28th, from 2 to 6 pm
Venue: Rua Dr. Plínio Barreto, 285, fourth floor of the FecomércioSP building, Bela Vista – São Paulo – SP
Registration is already open and prices vary from R$ 10 (roughly US$ 4) to R$ 50 (US$ 20). For further information and to register for the lecture, please click on the link http://migre.me/mAFwC (in Portuguese)
*Translated by Rodrigo Mendonça
