Date: 20th May 2010

Time: 7:30 PM

@ The French Cultural Centre

 

Jerusalem Moments

Seven documentary films by seven young directors

Palestinian and Israeli, reflecting the complexity of life in Jerusalem, in the context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. They courageously confront the delicate and charged issues and present personal and political points of view about the  reality  in Jerusalem today.

 

Prince of Jerusalem / Momen Shabaneh

Abd al-Qader al-Husseini tells the story of four sites in Jerusalemconnected to the history of the al-Husseini family- one of the most prominent families in Palestinian society. Abd al-Qader speaks about his father, Faisal al-Husseini, a Palestinian leader who worked for Palestinian self-determination and especially for a free and open Jerusalem, and about his grandfather and namesake, Abd al-Qader al-Husseini, who was the commander of the Palestinian resistance in 1948 and was killed during the battle at Qastal.

"The two people have rights upon this land. History forces war on us. Reality requires co-existence in peace." (Faisal al-Husseini, Haaretz, 1968)

 

The Little Western Wall / Liviu Babich

The Little Wall is a narrow alley that Jewish worshippers considerto be a continuation of the Western Wall.  For local Palestinian residents, the alley is known as Rabat al-Kurd, and is used as a passage to gain access to their homes and as one of the entrances to al-Haram al-Sharif, the Temple Mount. This film documents one day, from sunrise to midnight, at the so-called "Little Wall," as Jewish and Muslim worshippers pass by one another.

 

Hamamm al-Ayn and Me / Nihad Sabri

The Hammam al-Ein, located in the Old City of Jerusalem. was built by the Mamluk ruler, Saif Al-Din Al-Nasiry, circa 1336. What is left of this hammam (bathhouse) is the room that was used to heat the water and store commodities.  Recently, the settler organization Ateret Cohanim built a synagogue beside the internal walls of the hammam. The construction is upsetting the delicate relationship between the Islamic Waqf and Israel, and the daily routines of the Muslim residents living nearby.

 

Ghetto Town / Amber Fares and Avi Goldstein

The Shu'afat refugee camp lies on the edge of Jerusalem. Carrying blue Jerusalem IDs, but now separated from the city by the wall and a checkpoint, residents of the camp find themselves caught between Jerusalem and the West Bank.  Deprived of civil services, the camp has become an over-crowded, no-man's land plagued by garbage, drugs, and violence.  Out of the daily struggle for survival and identity rises

G-Town, a young rap group bringing voice to life in the camp and defining the Jerusalem style of Palestinian hip hop

 

Bus / Yasmine Novak 

There are parallel universes in the city of Jerusalem. Running alongside Egged, the Israeli national bus system, are the green and white Palestinian public buses. They pick up people traveling through Palestinian neighborhoods of East Jerusalem, and cross back and forth over the Green Line.  As the buses traverse the city, they carry with them dreams from various worlds. Passengers ascend and descend, always on the go, living their lives amidst a complex of rules, walls, soldiers, and permits.  Will they reach their destination?

 

In Israel's Custody / Radwan Duha

The Muslim cemetery Maaman Allah, is located in West Jerusalem.  Part of the cemetery was turned into a parking lot and now the Museum of Tolerance is being constructed upon this sensitive site . Mr. Muhammad al-Dajani, an 58-year-old Palestinian, visits the cemetery and tells us about members of his family who have been buried there since the beginning of the 20th century.

 

Nine to Five / Daniel Gal

A nighttime journey, high walls, rope-climbing, barbed wire fences, fear of arrest, and even a mortal threat -- these are some of the obstacles on the paths of Palestinians who work illegally inside Israel.  This film follows the journeys of a group of Palestinian construction workers on their journeys to their workplaces in the Jewish neighborhood of Har Homa, which is being built in East Jerusalem as a Jewish enclave amid Palestinians lands and neighborhoods.