Ramallah – (A. M. Qattan Foundation – 27 March 2018)
The Educational Research and Development Programme (ERDP) of the A. M. Qattan Foundation (AMQF) recently hosted the premiere of The Crossing Point, a film by Bassam Jarbawi, in Ni’lin. The film screening is a product of the Culture, Art and Community Participation project, which the AMQF implements in partnership with the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC).
The film tells the story of the Ni’lin community with the checkpoint set up by the occupying authorities on the outskirts of the town. The checkpoint plays a pivotal role in the lives of local residents. In less than 30 minutes, the film tracks some characters from Ni’lin. Most notably, Hamdan starts his day late at night to prepare meals and snacks. Before dawn, workers who cross the Ni’lin checkpoint into the Palestinian cities occupied in 1948 buy these meals and snacks.
Hamdan attended the premiere together with more than 100 participants in the Culture, Art and Community Participation project, local residents, members of the Ni’lin Municipal Council, AMQF Director General Ziad Khalaf, AMQF Deputy Director General Fida Touma, and Raghida Andoni, SDC National Programme Officer.
Introducing the film premiere, Malik Al-Remawi, Manager of the ERDP Languages and Humanities Track, stated: “This show is mainly intended for Ni’lin; the owners of the story. The idea of the film is inspired by a research workshop, in which a children painted a wall clock. Both the clock hands point to 1:00 am. His mother gets up and cooks pastries until 4:00 am. Then, the child and his brothers get up and go to sell the pastries at the checkpoint.”
Since the checkpoint controls the rhythm of life and has actually sneaked into the homes of Ni’lin, the ERDP has organised many workshops, addressing this and other issues. These unveiled different points of views among the town residents. The film responded to the requirement for a broader investigation into this aspect.
In a similar vein, Khalaf said that the project employed art as a day-to-day social practice with a view to questioning community values and practices. The Crossing Point is part of the research and production processes. It is an entry-point to reflection and dialogue, complemented by action on the ground. This is sensed by the vivid keenness shown by residents and actors in the town.
A seminar ensued the film screening. Discussants reintroduced some of the ideas addressed by the film. Along this vein, Israeli settlers benefit from the services available in the Al-Muhallal area in the town. Local school students work at the checkpoint at night time. For some members of the audience, this is a shameful image of Ni’lin, which they were not used to see. According to others, this is a public issue that is not exclusive to Ni’lin. Rather than underestimating residents of the Ni’lin town, this problem requires a national solution. Alternative employment opportunities should be created for young people. The big paradox posed by the occupation should also be resolved. In this context, a participant from Ni’lin said that the film neither puts the town on trial nor does it denounce its residents in view of this paradox. On the contrary, the film furnishes an opportunity to see the reality and create common spaces to devise a change.
The first round of the Culture, Art and Community Participation project was launched in 2016. The project will run towards the end of 2018. In addition to producing art works, the project facilitated conversations about their social issues between residents of several cities, towns and villages. This participatory approach engaged teachers, artists, social activists, parents, and students. The project aims to transform social issues into art works that develop social mobility and promote community participation through art. The project is supervised by the AMQF ERDP and Culture and Arts Programme.