ARTERI had the pleasure to attend a film screening of Slingshot Hip Hop last night, directed by  Jackie Reem Salloum which was an amazing portrait of the impact and claiming of rap music as a conduit for self empowerment and change for young Palestinians living in Gaza, the West Bank and inside Israel. It is part of the Palestine Film Week that is being jointly presented by the Malaysian Social Research Institute, Amnesty International Malaysia, Help University College and Kelab Seni Filem Negara. We hadn’t heard about it until now so wanted to also spread the word about the entire programme which looks really exciting.

Here is more information from the MSRI website:

Date: 2^nd – 5^th December 2009

Venue: Theatrette, HELP University College (Main Campus)

Admission: Free (Donations welcomed)

The Palestine Film Week will be held from 2^nd – 5^th December. This four-day event comprises film screenings, info booths and discussions focusing on civil, political, economic, social and cultural issues that impact the lives of the Palestinians. The films have been selected specifically to highlight the Palestinian struggle for justice and peace.

Event Schedule

Film Synopses

Slingshot Hip Hop

Director: Jackie Reem Salloum

Time: 83 minutes, English subtitles, Feature Film

Synopsis: Slingshot Hip Hop braids together the stories of young Palestinians living in Gaza, the West Bank and inside Israel as they discover Hip Hop and employ it as a tool to surmount divisions imposed by occupation and poverty. From internal checkpoints and Separation Walls to gender norms and generational differences, this is the story of young people crossing the borders that separate them.

Encounter Point

Director: Ronit Avni

Time: 85 minutes, English subtitles, feature film

Synopsis: When the world is losing hope about the possibility of resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict comes Encounter Point. Encounter Point moves beyond sensational and dogmatic imagery to tell the story of an Israeli settler, a Palestinian ex-prisoner, a bereaved Israel mother and a wounded Palestinian brother who risk their safety and public standing to press for an end to the conflict. They are at the vanguard of a movement to push Palestinian and Israeli societies to a tipping point, forging a new consensus for nonviolence and peace.

Reframe

Director: Jo Luping

Time: 50 minutes, English subtitles, documentary

Synopsis: This feature documentary looks at the Palestinian-Israeli conflict through the lens of international law. The film follows New Zealand human rights lawyer Dianne Luping as she works in the occupied Palestinian territories during 2001 and 2002. Along the way, the viewer is introduced to a number of Jewish and Palestinian peace activists working at a grass roots level, and a voice is given to those living at the front line.

Palestine Blues

Director: Nida Sinnokrot

Time: 72 minutes, English subtitles, documentary

Synopsis: Palestine Blues tells the story of a village’s confusion and desperation; their daily victories and wrenching defeats. The documentary was shot over six months focusing on the farming village of Jayyous, bearing witness to the destruction of many of its homes, ancient olive groves and farming lands, which were destroyed by the bulldozers and weaponry of the Israeli army in its inexorable charge to raise the “security” wall across occupied Palestine.

Rana’s Wedding

Director: Hany Abu-Assad

Time: 86 minutes, English subtitles, Feature film

Synopsis: When Rana is faced with an ultimatum – choose a husband from a list of eligible, respectable men or leave for Egypt – she goes searching for a lover of her own choosing. Moving across checkpoints to the West Bank, finding a wedding dress in a war zone, and settling family differences all in just ten hours, Rana finds…In Jerusalem, love has many roadblocks.

Private

Director: Saverio Costanzo

Time: 90 minutes, English subtitles, Feature film

Synopsis: Mohammad, his wife and their five children live in a large, isolated house located mid-way between a Palestinian village and an Israeli settlement. Viewed as a strategic lookout point, the house is forcefully taken over by Israeli soldiers, who confine Mohammad and his family to a few downstairs rooms in daytime and a single room at night. Against his wife’s wishes, Mohammad decides to keep the family together in the house until the soldiers move on, creating division among his kin and a precarious relationship with the soldiers.

The Syrian Bride

Director: Eran Riklis

Time: 97 minutes, English subtitles, Feature film

Synopsis: Mona’s wedding day may be the saddest of her life. Once she crosses the border into Syria, she will never be allowed back to her beloved family in the Druze village of Majdal Shams. Shot on location in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, the Syrian Bride is a powerful film about physical, mental and emotional borders and the courage it takes to cross them. Told with great humor and compassion, its story provides an emotionally stirring look at the human side of political conflict, focusing on the hopes and dreams of one family trapped in a no-man’s land between two nations.

Breaking the Silence: Israeli Soldiers Talk About Hebron

Time: 38 minutes, English subtitles, Documentary

Synopsis: Breaking the Silence is an organization of veteran Israeli soldiers that collects testimonies of soldiers who served in the Occupied Territories during the Second Intifada. Soldiers who serve in the Territories are witness to, and participate in military actions which change them immensely. Cases of abuse towards Palestinians, looting, and destruction of property have been the norm for years, but are still excused as military necessities, or explained as extreme and unique cases. The testimonies portray a different and grim picture of questionable orders in many areas regarding Palestinian civilians