PRESS RELEASE
13th THESSALONIKI DOCUMENTARY FESTIVAL - Images of the 21st Century
March 11 – 20, 2010
MIDDLE EAST SPOTLIGHT
The 13th Thessaloniki Documentary Festival organizes a Spotlight on documentary films from the Middle East, focusing mainly on recent productions from the years 2009-2011. The Festival aims to showcase and explore a plethora of perspectives on political and social issues of the region -both by insiders and outsiders-, as well as to present unique personal stories. In this manner, a rich and intricate cultural and geographical portrait of the region will be offered to our guests.
The following 8 films comprise the Spotlight:
Abu Jamil Street (Rue Abu Jamil) by Alexis Monchovet & Stephane Marchetti, France, 2010, 52’ (Human Rights)
Four Palestinian tunnel workers labour tirelessly under the Gaza strip, while bombs fly overhead and many structures are on the verge of collapse. They dig and build until they reach Egypt to meet their counterparts: the tunnels are used for transportation of goods between the countries through this underground smuggling system. The documentary, allowing its subjects ample space to share their lives and thoughts, attests to their resilience, courage and unexpected humour, and also sheds light on one of the many side-effects of the current state of affairs in Gaza.
Beating Time by Odette Orr, Israel, 2010, 50’ (Portraits: Human Journeys)
Harvard student Avi Kremer is diagnosed with ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a progressive, neurodegenerative and fatal disease); what was a bright future ahead of him now becomes the struggle to find a cure. Meeting ALS patients, including Stephen Hawking, Avi goes headfirst into a fight to raise money and push scientists to discover a treatment; as a result, many studies on ALS begin to flourish in Israel. As his motor functions begin to fail, Avi waits for a breakthrough, a fighter and an optimist even in the worst of times.
Black Flag (Mavri Simea) by Kiriaki Malama, Greece, 2003, 46’ (Kiriaki Malama Tribute)
In this documentary, director Malama has combined footage of warfare from Gaza to complement the testimonies of several Israeli soldiers who, after years of serving in the army and fighting, have decided that it is impossible for them to do so any longer. A truly fascinating insight into the horror of being a soldier and witnessing -as well as causing- death on a daily basis, the film allows its subjects to completely open up and share why they turned against the values they had abided by for so long.
Hero of All Seas (Batal al-bihar) by Talal Derki, Syria, 2011, 27’ (Human Rights)
In June of 2001 Kurd Abu Yashar managed to swim across the shores of Turkey and Greece to the island of Samos; the reason for his extreme endeavour was an attempt to secure legal visa papers for his family, a process which had previously failed both in Turkey and in Syria. His story is one of several others covered in this documentary, which focuses on the problems faced by Kurdish communities in Iraq, Iran, Turkey, and Syria, leading to illegal immigrations by the millions.
Jaffa the Orange's Clockwork by Eyal Sivan, Israel/France/Belgium/Germany, 2009, 88’ (Views of the World)
The story of the worldwide famous Jaffa oranges is the untold story of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Once a common symbol to both nations, the beloved citrus fruit originated in Palestine and later became an icon of the state of Israel. The documentary offers truly rare archival material, as well as testimonies by academics, poets, orchard workers and company marketing executives, who shed light into the various aspects of the ancient life of the fruit. Its rich visual history and oral commentary also become, in this film, a strong political comment.
My Sweet Canary by Roy Sher, Israel/France/Greece, 2011, 89’ (Music)
Roza Eskenazi, a Sephardic Jew, was the most famous singer of the 30s in Greece and Turkey, excelling in the rebetika songs of the era (a Greek musical genre often likened to the blues, which originated in hashish dens and jails around Greek cities in the early part of the 20th century). My Sweet Canary is a music-filled journey across Greece and Turkey in search of Eskenazi’s history and legacy. Filmed by three musicians, it explores a tradition of song that she originally made famous and that is still alive today in various forms and shapes; it also recounts her own story, one of great flair, drama and passion.
The Oath by Laura Poitras, USA, 2010, 96’ (Recordings of Memory)
The second part of a trilogy that includes the Oscar-nominated My Country, My Country, The Oath is the story of brothers-in-law Abu Jandal and Salim Hamdam; both having worked for Osama bin Laden as bodyguard and chauffeur, the first is now a cab driver in Yemen and the latter awaits his military tribunal imprisoned in Guantanamo. Jandal, effectively and inadvertently the “star” of the film, feels remorse for his terrorist past. The film, however, not only questions his truthfulness, but also presents a complicated argument concerning America’s beliefs and actions in regard to its enemies in the post-September 11 world.
Tears of Gaza (Gazaz Tarer) by Vibeke Lokkeberg, Norway, 82' (Human Rights)
Filmed by Palestinian cameramen, Tears of Gaza is the heart-wrenching record of the 2008-2009 bombing of Gaza by the Israeli military, as well as the aftermath shown in the streets and hospitals of the city. Explicit scenes of horror are juxtaposed with footage of parties, weddings and joyous social activities of life in Gaza during peaceful times; the contrast is ever more striking as the film keeps coming back to the images of the wounded, the dead and the angry population, unable to cope with the cost of the prolonged war.
12 Angry Lebanese - The Documentary by Zeina Daccache, Lebanon, 2009, 78’ (Stories to Tell)
Daccache, a theatre director and head of The Lebanese Centre for Drama Therapy (CATHARSIS), spent a year and a half working with 45 male prison inmates in the notorious Roumieh Prison, in order to stage the play 12 Angry Lebanese, adapted from Reginald Rose’s famous 12 Angry Men. She manages to gain the cooperation, trust and, finally, joy of the often traumatised inmates; amongst rehearsals and other activities, the most revealing part of the documentary are the prisoners’ interviews, unexpectedly honest and emotional, often filled with fear, but also hope for the future and the possibility for change.
