The Jerusalem Fim Festival opened a few days ago, and I am watching films galore!
A new film about the cruelty of the Occupation is Bissan
Tibi’s documentary, One Street in Silwan.
Batn Al-Hawa is a normal street in Silwan, which is a
Palestinian village in East Jerusalem outside the Old City Walls, where the
government of Israel is harassing and displacing local residents on a regular
basis. According to Israeli law, Jews may apply to reclaim property lost during
the 1948 war. (Palestinians are not
permitted the same rights.) Thus, settler groups are using this to obtain
properties all over East Jerusalem, moving into Arab neighborhoods, taking over
homes that Palestinian families have occupied for more than 75 years. And the
courts are supporting this.
There are two heroes in the film. One is Dareen, an adolescent girl, whose
family is fighting the possible eviction from their home. She doesn’t talk
much, but we watch as she plays with her cousin and her friends in the street,
her relations with her brothers unfold, and we go on tour of the street with her
father, who provides visitors with a rudimentary tour and a meal in his
home.
The other main character is the street itself – the security
cameras, colorful street art, children’s games - some which are extremely violent, soldiers patrolling, settlers
passing by. In the midst of this Arab
neighborhood, there is one site that houses a group of settlers and another
that has become a synagogue. There is graffiti
that has been blackened out, some violence, and plenty of bad feeling.
Although focusing your camera on a child makes for a film
lacking in depth, it also provides a lot of pathos and insight into the
tensions and fears of the Palestinian citizens who are suffering the
dispossession that is being meted out by the occupying forces.
One Street in Silwan (documentary, 53 minutes)
is a debut film for Bissan Tibi. Watch the trailer here.
The film is available from Anna Somershaf at supershaf@gmail.com
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