January 9, 2007

Palestinian female filmmakers triumph with their art

Rachel Shabi
Middle East Times

RAMALLAH, West Bank --  In the academic year of Palestinian universities, "activities period" is usually reserved for political rallying by student union parties. But last term, this window of time was instead dedicated to the presentation of films all made by Palestinian women.

For three months in 2006, 11 female filmmakers participated in the Shashat Palestinian Women's film festival, taking their work all over the West Bank and Gaza. The universities they visited have since all signed up to screen more of their movies in upcoming festivals.

"At first, people didn't believe that it could happen; what we did was considered the most ambitious and largest film tour of Palestinian cinema in Palestine," says Shashat director Alia Arasoughly.

Such incredulity is not a matter of cynicism or chauvinism. The festival took place despite seemingly insurmountable obstacles: Israeli invasions and closures and Palestinian strikes and infighting, not to mention a crippling recession following the international economic boycott of the Palestinian government. Practically every screening was either postponed two, three, or even four times, or outright canceled because of curfews, strikes, or city battles say its organizers.

But in the end, all the screenings managed to take place - including one in Rafah a few hours after it was bombed during an Israeli attack.

"When I called to see if everyone was alright, they said, 'yes, we still want you to come, people are waiting to see the film,'" says Arasoughly.

Gaza's only power station was bombed by Israeli forces in June 2006, so the film was powered by a generator despite strict rationing. Yet, as Arasoughly adds, "people wanted to show that they are not animals who just eat and hide in fear; that they are human beings who can sit and drink tea and discuss films with dignity."

On point of principle, the Shashat festival toured all of Palestine, reaching Jenin, Hebron, Nablus, and Gaza, as well as the usual cultural centers of Ramallah, Bethlehem, and Jerusalem. "We think that it is wrong to have culture restricted to the centers, to the elite," explains Arasoughly, herself a filmmaker. "How can you talk about cultural development in Palestine if you are only talking about a small percentage of the population, based in a small area?" she argues.

Founded in 2004, Shashat seeks to promote women's cultural output, with a focus on cinema and an emphasis on the impact of societal and cultural attitudes on women's development. Initially, many male filmmakers approached the organization, naturally wanting their own work to be part of this far-reaching festival tour. "They told us that they had made films on the theme of women, but we said we didn't want women [relegated to] a theme," says Arasoughly.

And it seems women do not want the fact of their making a film to be an issue, either. "It is always, 'how do you see yourself as a woman filmmaker?' You know, as if a woman filmmaker in Palestine is so strange," says Ghada Terawi, a documentary filmmaker who took part in the festival. "But it is not strange at all. As a woman filmmaker, I don't find I have any difficulties," she adds.

But there were sometimes difficulties in shooting the films, many of which deal with aspects of everyday life under Israeli occupation. To take one example, Liana Badr's documentary, The Gates are Open Sometimes, focuses on a family that has lost half its land to the Israeli division barrier. "We were threatened all the time because the Israeli army considers the area [around the barrier] a military zone and so it was forbidden to film there," says Badr. "I told the crew not to panic, but one time when two soldiers came rushing toward me with guns pointing at me, I had a panic attack."

In other cases, the trouble was not with shooting the films, but in the subjects covered. Terawi's film, The Way Back Home, takes a look at the reactions of a group of Palestinian exiles returning to a country that cannot possibly live up to their idealized expectations. "So many people were not happy with this film. They said 'this is an internal problem, not something we should show outside,'" says Terawi, who was born in Beirut to Palestinian militants. "But I expected that and was ready for it," she adds. "It's a choice: either you choose to film what you believe should be shown, or you listen to other people and just do whatever they want."

Then there are the films of Arasoughly herself, over which some of the Shashat board worried she might have to resign. One short film, The Clothesline, depicts women coming to terms with the shock and pain of a relationship breakup while held under curfew in Ramallah during the Israeli invasion of March 2002. "It is not socially acceptable to talk about failed relationships," says Arasoughly. "You are supposed to be either married or divorced - there is nothing in between."

But the festival is used to tackling sensitive issues. In its first year, one of the screenings included Divorce Iranian Style, a documentary following four women as they navigate their way through the legal landmine of Sharia divorce and custody laws before a Tehran court.

According to Arasoughly, the success of the organization is built around bringing such issues to the isolated pockets of Palestine without confrontation or conflict. "We really strategize and go into communities in a non-threatening, non-aggressive way," she says.

And, of course, it is not just the film themes that make an impact. "We show good, high-quality films made by unveiled, articulate, and professional women," points out Arasoughly. "[These female filmmakers are] strong personalities who stand on university platforms presenting their films and offering a role model to both men and women."

This article was originally published in the Middle East Times (http://www.metimes.com/storyview.php?StoryID=20070107-034640-4981r)
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