In the city center of the capital, the JCC offers the public a selection of the most remarkable films dedicated to the Palestinian cause.
For Palestine, an open-air screen unfolded so that fabricated images of pain and dreams mark minds and arouse passions. These projections take place on a large screen, in the heart of the main avenue of Tunis. The program includes long and short films, documentaries and fiction, some dating back several years, such as “Bab al-Shams” by Yousry Nasrallah (2004), based on the novel by Elias Khoury. Other films are more recent, such as the documentary “Jenin Jenin” in its 2024 version by Mohamed Bakri, which depicts the heroic events of the siege of the Jenin refugee camp and the testimonies of Palestinians who experienced this drama and continues with the persecution suffered by Bakri, who was harassed, tried and accused by Israeli justice. Among the films programmed, we also find “200 Meters” by Amin Nayfeh, a film which tells of the suffering of Palestinians facing the separation wall, and how a family is forced to travel kilometers to visit a member of the family hospitalized, when in reality it is only 200 meters away. The film “Layla’s Birthday” by Rashid Masharawi, which won the Golden Tanit during the 22e edition of the Carthage Cinematographic Days, will also be screened.
This film allowed Mohamed Bakri to win the best actor prize. Among the documentaries also presented, “Yalla Gaza”, by French director Roland Nourié, highlights the lives of Gaza residents, under constant Israeli siege and the ravages of the multiple wars that have destroyed the region. The film gives voice to Palestinian and foreign activists, experts and specialists, and evokes the Nakba, the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians and the creation of refugee camps in Gaza. He also returns to the 1947 partition plan for Palestine. The documentary “The Wanted 18” (2014), by Paul Cowan and Amer Shomali, tells how the inhabitants of Beit Sahour hid 18 cows to start local milk production. during the first Intifada, after the Israeli authorities perceived this initiative as a threat to the security of the Israeli state. Among the surprises of this demonstration, there is also “At zero distance” from Rashid Masharawi, a film which explores the stories of filmmakers from Gaza, having filmed in rudimentary conditions during the war “The Flood of Al-Aqsa” which has been raging since October 2023. This film is available between fiction, documentary and direct cinema . The film “Rochima” by Syrian director of Druze origin Salim Abu Jabal, which won the jury prize at the Dubai Film Festival, tells the story of two people80-year-olds living in a metal shack in the Rochimia Valley, in the heart of Haifa. Although this valley is surrounded by modern buildings, their barracks remain deprived of amenities such as electricity and telephone. The film shows how their quiet existence is disrupted by an Israeli government plan to destroy their home and eliminate what remains of their lives, linked to the Palestinian Nakba. What these films have in common is that they not only defend the just Palestinian cause, but also stand out for their artistic excellence and mastery of contemporary cinematic language. It is this approach that has allowed them to be recognized and respected at the biggest international festivals. Thanks to Palestinian filmmakers who do not lack mastery of technique and sensitivity in treatment, Palestinian cinema is now capable of transmitting the complex image of the Palestinian, in its multiple facets, its struggles, its dreams and its hopes.
