Sunday 7 October 2018, SRP (Studenten voor Rechtvaardigheid in Palestina) presents Arna’s Children (Juliano Mer-Khamis, 2004), 84 minutes. Language: Arabic & Hebrew (English subtitles). Doors open at 8pm, film starts at 8:30pm.
Arna’s Children tells the story of a theatre group that was established by Arna Mer-Khamis. Arna comes from a Zionist family and in the 1950’s married a Palestinian Arab, Saliba Khamis. On the West Bank, she opened an alternative education system for children whose regular life was disrupted by the Israeli occupation. The theatre group that she started engaged children from Jenin, helping them to express their everyday frustrations, anger, bitterness and fear. Arna’s son Juliano, director of this film, was also one of the directors of Jenin’s theatre. With his camera, he filmed the children during rehearsal periods from 1989 to 1996. Now, he goes back to see what happened to them. Yussef committed a suicide attack in Hadera in 2001, Ashraf was killed in the battle of Jenin, Alla leads a resistance group. Juliano, who today is one of the leading actors in the region, looks back in time in Jenin, trying to understand the choices made by the children he loved and worked with. Eight years ago, the theatre was closed and life became static and paralysed. Shifting back and forth in time, the film reveals the tragedy and horror of lives trapped by the circumstances of the Israeli occupation.
The film screening will be followed by a discussion on the role of art and culture in liberation struggles. Aditionally we will present information on the cultural boycott as part of the wider BDS campaign and how solidarity activists can support the Palestinian struggle using this tactic.
SRP (Studenten voor Rechtvaardigheid in Palestina) : http://srpnederland.nl
Film night at Joe’s Garage, cozy cinema! Free entrance. You want to play a movie, let us know: joe [at] squat [dot] net
