Jenin, Jenin
In April 2002, the Israeli army launched Operation Defensive Shield and reoccupied the entire West Bank. The Jenin refugee camp was invaded and journalists and humanitarian organisations were denied access for several days. The Palestinians and many NGOs accused Israel of war crimes. Israel refused access to the UN fact-finding mission... Mohammad Bakri decided to enter the camp in spite of everything to interview the inhabitants. He wanted to give a voice to those who could not speak to the media. The film was censored, Mohammad Bakri appealed, and five soldiers accused him of defamation. Three years later, the Israeli Supreme Court overturned the ban on showing the film.
| Director | Mohammad Bakri |
| Share on |
Jenin, Jenin is a film that never ceases to be pulled in the present. It always returns. Bakri’s film leaves you with no words, or maybe at least a smile at the very last second. Because in front of this level of destruction and injustice, the only response one can have is to have nothing more to say. Bakri’s film is this precise moment that reminds you of human connection. The people, the men, the women, the children, the elderly, they say it all. They speak to you directly. They’ve been saying it all. They have been speaking to you directly. That this film is timeless is not about the way it is seen but about the way Bakri has created an enduring space for the people to voice and roar. To have the time to express their pains, to address them and for people to connect to these voices. And Bakri has listened. He has taken the time to hear. He has paid attention to the anger, to the pain, the yearning, the sadness and the resilience. He has simply listened and has questioned how you choose to listen and why you don’t. They said again and again that nobody is going anywhere. And from their past, their present and their future, from generation to generation, they have shared the record of their people’s lives and stories. They have presented you with their deepest thoughts and they have reminded you that like you, they all deserve to live.
Nada El-Omari
Filmmaker and writer
-
French
50 mn
Language: Français -
English
50 mn
Language: English
- Année 2002
- Pays Palestine
- Durée 50
- Producteur Mohammad Bakri
- Langue Arab
- Sous-titres French
- Résumé court Mohammad Bakri gives the floor to the inhabitants of Jenin in Palestinian territory, following Operation Defensive Shield carried out by the Israeli army in 2002.
Jenin, Jenin is a film that never ceases to be pulled in the present. It always returns. Bakri’s film leaves you with no words, or maybe at least a smile at the very last second. Because in front of this level of destruction and injustice, the only response one can have is to have nothing more to say. Bakri’s film is this precise moment that reminds you of human connection. The people, the men, the women, the children, the elderly, they say it all. They speak to you directly. They’ve been saying it all. They have been speaking to you directly. That this film is timeless is not about the way it is seen but about the way Bakri has created an enduring space for the people to voice and roar. To have the time to express their pains, to address them and for people to connect to these voices. And Bakri has listened. He has taken the time to hear. He has paid attention to the anger, to the pain, the yearning, the sadness and the resilience. He has simply listened and has questioned how you choose to listen and why you don’t. They said again and again that nobody is going anywhere. And from their past, their present and their future, from generation to generation, they have shared the record of their people’s lives and stories. They have presented you with their deepest thoughts and they have reminded you that like you, they all deserve to live.
Nada El-Omari
Filmmaker and writer
-
French
Duration: 50 minutesLanguage: Français50 mn -
English
Duration: 50 minutesLanguage: English50 mn
- Année 2002
- Pays Palestine
- Durée 50
- Producteur Mohammad Bakri
- Langue Arab
- Sous-titres French
- Résumé court Mohammad Bakri gives the floor to the inhabitants of Jenin in Palestinian territory, following Operation Defensive Shield carried out by the Israeli army in 2002.
