Past Summer Film Series

Wednesday | 9 July | 6:30 p.m.
Kemo Sabe
Director: Rana Kazkaz / 12 minutes / 2005

Driving to Zigzigland
Directors: Nicole Ballivian / 92 minutes / 2006

Wednesday | 16 July | 6:30 p.m.
USA Vs. Al-Arian
Director: Line Halvorsen / 99 minutes / 2007

Wednesday | 23 July | 6:30 p.m.
Swings
Director: Basil Ramsis / 98 minutes / 2007

Wednesday | 30 July | 6:30 p.m.
The Color of Olives
Director: Carolina Rivas / 97 minutes / 2006

Wednesday | 6 August | 6:30 p.m.
Secret Hebron: The School Run
Director: Donna Baillie / 28 minutes / 2003  

Jerusalem: The East Side Story
Director: Mohammed Alatar / 57 minutes / 2008

Wednesday | 13 August | 6:30 p.m.
The Roof
Director: Kamal Al Jafari / 61 minutes / 2007

Wednesday | 25 June | 6:30 p.m.
The Presence of Absence in the Ruins of Kafr Bir'im
Director: John Halaka / 60 minutes / 2007



Shot on location in the ruins and cemetery of Kafr Bir'im, a Palestinian village located in the Northern Galilee, the film introduces the viewer to Mr. Ibrahim Essa, an elderly poet who survived the ethnic cleansing of his village in 1948.  Through his narrative and poetry, Ibrahim Issa recounts his experiences as a youth in the village, the hardships of a life in exile and the intense emotional, physical and historical connections to the land that he shares with the 5,000,000 Palestinians who currently live in the Palestinian Diaspora.

This film is the first in the "Voices of Palestine" Summer 2008 Film Series. The annual film series is hosted jointly by The Jerusalem Fund for Education and Community Development and The Center for Contemporary Arab Studies, Georgetown University. Films begin promptly at 6:30 p.m.  All films are in English or have English subtitles. Attendance is free and open to the public.  No r.s.v.p. required.  Films are screened at The Jerusalem Fund, 2425 Virginia Ave, NW, Washington, D.C. 20037. For more information, call the Jerusalem Fund at 202-338-1958 or email info@thejerusalemfund.org .

Wednesday | 2 July | 6:30 p.m.
Open Heart
Director: Claire Fowler / 22 minutes / 2006



Four years ago Iham and Jihad lost their third child on the operating table. Now their 9 month old son Jamal's life is threatened by congenital heart disease.  With the aid of the charity The Palestine Children's Relief Fund (PCRF), a British surgeon's arrival in Palestine offers hope for the future. But first the Samara family must travel from their home in the West Bank and through Israeli checkpoints to Makassed hospital in Jerusalem, before the real journey can even begin.

With Blood (Bidam)
Directors: Juliana Fredman, Dan O'Reilly-Rowe / 57 minutes / 2006
*Dan O'Reilly-Rowe will be present



Bidam (With Blood) follows ordinary people's efforts to overcome extraordinary obstacles in pursuit of routine health care in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Shot on location with patients and health workers over seven months in an intimate verite style, this film offers a thought-provoking, compassionate perspective on life in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.  With Blood weaves together several storylines, following subjects whose personal situations illustrate aspects of the central theme of health care under military occupation.

These two films will be shown together as the second event  in the "Voices of Palestine" Summer 2008 Film Series. The annual film series is hosted jointly by The Jerusalem Fund for Education and Community Development and The Center for Contemporary Arab Studies, Georgetown University. Films begin promptly at 6:30 p.m.  All films are in English or have English subtitles. Attendance is free and open to the public.  No r.s.v.p. required.  Films are screened at The Jerusalem Fund, 2425 Virginia Ave, NW, Washington, D.C. 20037. For more information, call the Jerusalem Fund at 202-338-1958 or email info@thejerusalemfund.org .

Wednesday | 9 July | 6:30 p.m.
Kemo Sabe
Director: Rana Kazkaz / 12 minutes / 2005



Kemo Sabe tells the story of Yussef, a six year old boy who longs to be the Cowboy instead of the Indian on the playground.  Daring to challenge the role his race has determined, Yussef learns the playground rules of becoming a Cowboy: he needs blue jeans and a belt.

Driving to Zigzigland
Director: Nicole Ballivian / 92 minutes / 2006


 
A chronicle of a day in the life of a Palestinian cab driver in Los Angeles, Driving to Zigzigland portrays the social struggle of the Arab immigrant in post-9/11 America.  An unceasing flow of passengers ride in Bashar's taxi and give the Arab cabbie the run-around on issues that deal with suicide bombers, George Bush, Cat Stevens, the war in Iraq, music, and world geography. Shot in Los Angeles and Palestine, based on true stories.

These two films will be shown together as the third event in the "Voices of Palestine" Summer 2008 Film Series. The annual film series is hosted jointly by The Jerusalem Fund for Education and Community Development and The Center for Contemporary Arab Studies, Georgetown University. Films begin promptly at 6:30 p.m.  All films are in English or have English subtitles. Attendance is free and open to the public.  No r.s.v.p. required.  Films are screened at The Jerusalem Fund, 2425 Virginia Ave, NW, Washington, D.C. 20037. For more information, call the Jerusalem Fund at 202-338-1958 or email info@thejerusalemfund.org .

Wednesday | 16 July  | 6:30 p.m. 
USA Vs. Al-Arian
Director: Line Halvorsen / 99 minutes / 2007
*Abdullah and Laila Al-Arian will be present

 

USA Vs. Al-Arian is an intimate family portrait that documents the Palestinian-American family Al-Arian's desperate attempt to fight terrorism charges leveled by the US government.  The film follows Sami Al-Arian's wife Nahla and their 5 children throughout his 6-month long trial.  It is an intimate family portrait that documents the strain brought on by the trial, a battle waged both in court and in the media.

This film is the fourth in the "Voices of Palestine" Summer 2008 Film Series . The annual film series is hosted jointly by The Jerusalem Fund for Education and Community Development and The Center for Contemporary Arab Studies, Georgetown University. Films begin promptly at 6:30 p.m.  All films are in English or have English subtitles. Attendance is free and open to the public.  No r.s.v.p. required.  Films are screened at The Jerusalem Fund, 2425 Virginia Ave, NW, Washington, D.C. 20037. For more information, call the Jerusalem Fund at 202-338-1958 or email info@thejerusalemfund.org .

Wednesday | 23 July | 6:30 p.m.
Swings
Director: Basil Ramsis / 98 minutes / 2007



Swings (Marajeeh) is a feature documentary about the lives of Palestinian women on both sides of the 1949 Green Line.  The film profiles a series of Palestinian women as they relate to the Israeli occupation and to gender issues in different Palestinian cities and towns.   The film was shot during the summer of 2006 in refugee camps in Gaza and in Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Nablus, Jericho and Hebron, as well as Kafr Kassem, Haifa, Nazareth and the Naqab desert.

This film is the fifth in the "Voices of Palestine" Summer 2008 Film Series. The annual film series is hosted jointly by The Jerusalem Fund for Education and Community Development and The Center for Contemporary Arab Studies, Georgetown University. Films begin promptly at 6:30 p.m.  All films are in English or have English subtitles. Attendance is free and open to the public.  No r.s.v.p. required.  Films are screened at The Jerusalem Fund, 2425 Virginia Ave, NW, Washington, D.C. 20037. For more information, call the Jerusalem Fund at 202-338-1958 or email info@thejerusalemfund.org .

Wednesday | 30 July | 6:30 p.m.
The Color of Olives
Director: Carolina Rivas / 97 minutes / 2006



"With its contemplative tone and haunting images, The Color of Olives may be the most peaceful documentary ever to arrive from a war zone."- New York Times

From Mexican director Carolina Rivas and cinematographer Daoud Sarhandi comes this elegant and visually breathtaking new film about the Palestinian experience. The Amer family lives surrounded by the infamous West Bank Wall, where their daily lives are dominated by electrified fences, locked gates and a constant swarm of armed soldiers.

This unique and intimate documentary shares their private world, allowing a glimpse of the constant struggles and the small, endearing details that sustain them. The Color Of Olives is an artistic and beautifully affecting reflection on the effects of racial segregation, the meaning of borders and the absurdity of war.

This film is the sixth in the "Voices of Palestine" Summer 2008 Film Series. The annual film series is hosted jointly by The Jerusalem Fund for Education and Community Development and The Center for Contemporary Arab Studies, Georgetown University. Films begin promptly at 6:30 p.m.  All films are in English or have English subtitles. Attendance is free and open to the public.  No r.s.v.p. required.  Films are screened at The Jerusalem Fund, 2425 Virginia Ave, NW, Washington, D.C. 20037. For more information, call the Jerusalem Fund at 202-338-1958 or email info@thejerusalemfund.org .

Wednesday | 6 August | 6:30 p.m.
Secret Hebron: The School Run
Director: Donna Baillie / 28 minutes / 2003

 

This film reveals the plight of young Palestinian children in the West Bank city of Hebron who regularly risk being attacked by Israeli soldiers as they try to go to school each morning.  The film shows kids scrabbling across the roofs of buildings in an effort to avoid the soldiers below.

Jerusalem: The East Side Story
Director: Mohammed Alatar / 57 minutes / 2008

 

The latest shipment of history in Jerusalem is the Israeli occupation.  In 1948, the western part of the city fell under Israeli control; in 1967, the eastern part fell under Israeli occupation.  Since then, Israel has pursued a policy of Judaizing the city, aiming to achieve "Jewish demographic superiority." Part of this policy is to drive Palestinian Muslims and Christians out of the city; denying their presence, history, and ties to the land.  Jerusalem: The East Side Story takes you on a journey exposing Israel's policy to gain supremacy and hegemony over the city and its inhabitants.

These two films will be shown together as the seventh event in the "Voices of Palestine" Summer 2008 Film Series. The annual film series is hosted jointly by The Jerusalem Fund for Education and Community Development and The Center for Contemporary Arab Studies, Georgetown University. Films begin promptly at 6:30 p.m.  All films are in English or have English subtitles. Attendance is free and open to the public.  No r.s.v.p. required.  Films are screened at The Jerusalem Fund, 2425 Virginia Ave, NW, Washington, D.C. 20037. For more information, call the Jerusalem Fund at 202-338-1958 or email info@thejerusalemfund.org .

Wednesday | 13 August | 6:30 p.m.
The Roof
Director: Kamal Al Jafari / 61 minutes / 2007



The Roof is a poetic and political reflection which records Palestinian director Kamal Al Jafari's journey back to his family and homeland and explores his firm conviction that "home" can be a feeling as well as an actual place. The unfinished roof of the Al Jafari house in Ramle acts as a symbol of the enduring presence of the past as Al Jafari explores his family's lives.  Al Jafari's voyage is not so much a definite search for memories, but an attempt to view the present as a living past. Past and present collide as his camera pans slowly along the walls of damaged or ruined homes.

This film is the eighth in the "Voices of Palestine" Summer 2008 Film Series. The annual film series is hosted jointly by The Jerusalem Fund for Education and Community Development and The Center for Contemporary Arab Studies, Georgetown University. Films begin promptly at 6:30 p.m.  All films are in English or have English subtitles. Attendance is free and open to the public.  No r.s.v.p. required.  Films are screened at The Jerusalem Fund, 2425 Virginia Ave, NW, Washington, D.C. 20037. For more information, call the Jerusalem Fund at 202-338-1958 or email info@thejerusalemfund.org .