Pictures taken in Bristol by John McGowan
This documentary was shot over four days during the week of Hakaya’s visit to England last October 2013. With Chris Rhys Field, who recorded the footage, I followed the Palestinian visitors and shared in their experiences: from a GCSE dance class in a local school to the stage of a major music venue, from a boat-restaurant in rural Wiltshire to the top of a tourist bus in Bath. We also set up interviews with some of the children and Ibtisam (director of the Ghirass Centre), as an opportunity to give them a voice: to provide an alternative platform for expression besides their amazing music and dancing. This was a unique chance to capture them speaking about their lives in Palestine, thus reflecting the wider context of the complex injustice they are caught up in.
I feel privileged and honoured to have shared in such an enriching experience. The aim was to tell the story of the visit in all its varied aspects, reflect the richness and diversity of this unique cultural exchange. We have aimed to offer a balanced account of the visit with a combination of footage displaying the beauty of performance, the arresting content of the interviews, and the freshness and humour of fly-on-the-wall shots of the visitors experiencing UK life.
What immediately attracted me to this project was the power of the story, and its potential for inspiration. Cultural exchanges are always brimming with possibility for documentary content and storytelling: the meeting of different cultures, the sharing of experiences, the exploration of the other’s identity, a mutual love for art, culture and heritage. It is a compelling, exciting journey of discovery both for the participants, and for the film-makers who are present to bear witness.
It was an absolute joy to work with these teenagers, who participated in every aspect of the shoot with grace and generosity: they are remarkable young people, full of fire, energy, love for their heritage, commitment to their cause, sense of fun and humour. In so many ways they are ordinary teens, with a passion for fashion, modern pop culture and a tendency for high spirited romping; it is striking to contrast this vitality with the difficult situations they experience in Palestine, the backdrop of fear resulting from the daily encounter with conflict and occupation.
The welcome and kindness shown by the host families in the UK, the students and staff of the St Augustine’s Catholic College (Trowbridge), and the dedication of all the organisers involved from Bradford on Avon Friends of Palestine and the Bethlehem-BANES link, were outstanding and extremely moving. It made the experience all the more rewarding.
Film is most often the result of teamwork and I would above all like to commend the hard work and professionalism of the crew who worked to make the documentary a reality. Collaboration, and expertise applied to every technical aspect of film-making were essential to this project: cinematography, sound recording, editing, and audio mixing. I am also profoundly grateful to the two amazing translators who helped us with the subtitles for the interviews in Arabic. This is another amazing attribute of film: more than any other medium, it has the power of bringing people together.
Samiha Abdeldjebar, April 2014
This documentary was shot over four days during the week of Hakaya’s visit to England last October 2013. With Chris Rhys Field, who recorded the footage, I followed the Palestinian visitors and shared in their experiences: from a GCSE dance class in a local school to the stage of a major music venue, from a boat-restaurant in rural Wiltshire to the top of a tourist bus in Bath. We also set up interviews with some of the children and Ibtisam (director of the Ghirass Centre), as an opportunity to give them a voice: to provide an alternative platform for expression besides their amazing music and dancing. This was a unique chance to capture them speaking about their lives in Palestine, thus reflecting the wider context of the complex injustice they are caught up in.
I feel privileged and honoured to have shared in such an enriching experience. The aim was to tell the story of the visit in all its varied aspects, reflect the richness and diversity of this unique cultural exchange. We have aimed to offer a balanced account of the visit with a combination of footage displaying the beauty of performance, the arresting content of the interviews, and the freshness and humour of fly-on-the-wall shots of the visitors experiencing UK life.
What immediately attracted me to this project was the power of the story, and its potential for inspiration. Cultural exchanges are always brimming with possibility for documentary content and storytelling: the meeting of different cultures, the sharing of experiences, the exploration of the other’s identity, a mutual love for art, culture and heritage. It is a compelling, exciting journey of discovery both for the participants, and for the film-makers who are present to bear witness.
It was an absolute joy to work with these teenagers, who participated in every aspect of the shoot with grace and generosity: they are remarkable young people, full of fire, energy, love for their heritage, commitment to their cause, sense of fun and humour. In so many ways they are ordinary teens, with a passion for fashion, modern pop culture and a tendency for high spirited romping; it is striking to contrast this vitality with the difficult situations they experience in Palestine, the backdrop of fear resulting from the daily encounter with conflict and occupation.
The welcome and kindness shown by the host families in the UK, the students and staff of the St Augustine’s Catholic College (Trowbridge), and the dedication of all the organisers involved from Bradford on Avon Friends of Palestine and the Bethlehem-BANES link, were outstanding and extremely moving. It made the experience all the more rewarding.
Film is most often the result of teamwork and I would above all like to commend the hard work and professionalism of the crew who worked to make the documentary a reality. Collaboration, and expertise applied to every technical aspect of film-making were essential to this project: cinematography, sound recording, editing, and audio mixing. I am also profoundly grateful to the two amazing translators who helped us with the subtitles for the interviews in Arabic. This is another amazing attribute of film: more than any other medium, it has the power of bringing people together.
Samiha Abdeldjebar, April 2014