July/August 2006

http://alawda.newjerseysolidarity.org

Balata Film Collective: Resisting Occupation Through Film

Balata Refugee Camp is one of the most hard-hit communities in Palestine's West Bank. The over 30,000 residents, refugees of the 1948 Nakba, live in a heavily militarized zone where tear gas, gunshots, and military searches are a part of everyday life. Full scale invasions by zionist militant forces disrupt daily life regularly in Balata. In 2006 alone, Balata has endured incursions in February and May.

But the people of Balata continue to struggle against occupation and oppression. They have built community organizations and centers which allow them to celebrate and defend against the extinction of their culture. One such community project is the Balata Film Collective.

A still from “Nour’s Dream,” the new film from the Balata Film Collective.

The Balata Film Collective describes its work as an important means of both resistance and communication. The collective was initiated to enable young Palestinians from Balata to break their isolation, challenge their oppression and represent their lives to the world.

In May 2006 solidarity activists in the U.S. worked with members of the collective to arrange a visit and tour of three collective members. New Jersey Solidarity hosted stops on the tour at the New Brunswick Public Library in New Jersey, and at The Bridge Gallery in New York. The latter event was co-sponsored by Al Jisser Group and Al-Awda New York.

A still from “Nour’s Dream,” the new film from the Balata Film Collective.

The tour was organized nationally by a collective of activists who have spent time in Balata and worked with the filmmakers. Over the course of months, they labored to raise the funds for travel expenses to the U.S. and arranged for events in Boston, Chicago, New Orleans, Minneapolis, New Jersey and New York. The collective's new film, "Nour's Dream" produced by the Yafa Cultural Centre, was shown at the events, including at the renown Chicago Palestine Film Festival.

The tour was to have featured Balata Film Collective members Ruby Said, Mohammed Hajhamad and collective co-founder Mohammed Farraj. But the zionist occupier, bent on controlling every aspect of Palestinian existence, refused to allow Mohammed Farraj to travel, even after he secured a visa from the U.S embassy in Jerusalem.

Even so, audiences across the U.S. were treated to the opportunity to view and discuss the work of the Balata Film Collective with Ruby Said and Mohammed Hajhamad.

A still from “Nour’s Dream,” the new film from the Balata Film Collective.

Ruby became active in the Balata Film Collective in Spring of 2005. Since then, she has participated in the making of 5 short films and the documentary film "Nour's Dream". Ruby is also a women's rights activist and a secretary at the Yafa Cultural Center where she coordinates children's activities.

Mohammed Hajhamad, director of "Nour's Dream," has run many drama programs and summer camps for children in Balata Camp, and he is the head theater trainer of A'edoon ("We Will Return") Dabke and Art Theater group in Balata Camp's Yafa Cultural Center.

Many of the short films produced by the collective are available for download at http://www.balatacamp.net. The films serve as a powerful tool allowing the Palestinians of Balata to present their struggle to the world in their own voice.

The May 2006 tour aimed to raise funds to help the collective with its ongoing projects, including the building of a theater in Balata, training children, youth and adults on how to make documentaries and how to use cameras to deliver their ideas. They look forward to being invited to participate in future film festivals to deliver their ideas to the world.

Ruby and Mohammed suggested that one of the best ways for individuals and organizations in the U.S. to assist them in their work is to secure recording equipment, such as cameras, film and digital media for them. Al Jisser Group, co-sponsor of the New York tour stop, has committed itself to raising funds for this purpose.