Creative Interruptions presents ‘Cinema of the Palestinian Revolution’ on 11 June 2018

Until recently films produced by the Palestinian Film Institute were thought to have been either looted or destroyed during the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1982.

As part of the Creative Interruptions project (which is exploring artistic expressions of oppressed communities), researchers at Sheffield Hallam University have participated in the work of retrieving Palestinian films from the 1970s and the early 1980s.

Azza El Hassan, a Palestinian film maker, resident in the UK, found the films of Hani Jawharieh (1939-1976) in the latter’s family home and this prompted further search. After uncovering the existence of films in private homes, it has been possible to digitise and restore a number of them to make them accessible to the public, to support the restoration of Palestinian cultural memory in the face of Israel’s systematic destruction of Palestinian cultural artefacts since 1948.

Cinema of the Palestinian Revolution will screen these newly restored films, along with a modern reflection on these films.

Discussions will be held with filmmaker Azza El Hassan, Restoration Director; Dr Anandi Ramamurthy, Co-Investigator, Creative Interruptions, Sheffield Hallam University; Director Kassem Hawal and Samia Labidi, Palestine Film Collection, Cine-Palestine, Paris.

We are pleased to announce that Hiba Jawharieh, daughter of Hani Jawharieh
will be joining us for the screening of her father’s films.

11 June 2018, 17.00-20.15 FREE
Peak Lecture Theatre, Owen Building,
Sheffield Hallam University, Sheffield SB1 1WB

For more information, please contact Dr Anandi Ramamurthy.

To register for the event and to view the full programme, please visit Eventbrite.

 

PROGRAMME

In search of a Death Foretold dir. Azza El Hassan
(14 mins, 2004) A filmic introduction to the search for Palestinian archives.

Zahrat Al-Madain AKA The Flower of all Cities (1969) (7mins) dir Ali Siam, Cinematography: Hani Jawharieh
A harmonious picture of Palestinian civil life is disturbed by the Israeli army’s occupation of the city following the 1967 war with Israel. Set to the sound track, “The Flowers of all Cities”, a famous song by Fairouz, the film retains contemporary relevance.

Palestine in the Eye 1976 dir PLO Film Unit/Mustafa Abu Ali (28mins)
The profound impact of Hani Jawharieh’s death for the PLO Media Unit is reflected upon through interviews with family, colleagues and his own cinematography, including the moment of his death while filming for the Unit. Through its reflection on Jawharieh we are offered an understanding of the workings of the Palestine Film Unit and its international connections.

The Urgent Call of Palestine dir Ismail Shammout (5 mins, 1973 )
Shammout records a solidarity song to announce the most urgent call for Palestine.

Glow of Memories dir Ismail Shammout (12 mins, 1972)
Shammout’s paintings narrate the memories of an old Palestinian man.

Palestinian Identity dir Kassem Hawal (1984) (40 mins)
In the year 1982 Israel invaded Lebanon and occupied its capital Beirut. The film documents the burnt and destroyed cultural and educational centres from which Israelis stole films, photographs, historical and contemporary manuscripts. It includes interviews with key members of the Palestinian cultural scene such as Mahmoud Darwish and Ismail Shammout and those in charge of cultural and educational centres that were destroyed.