In this APTLI lecture (July 2021), Palestinian Filmmaker Baha’ AbuShanab discusses his film experience and filmmaking in Palestine. His documentary, The Living of the Pigeons, will be covered.
The film is “A haunting glimpse of the surreal early morning hours and the daily experience of “rush hour” for Palestinian workers at the Israeli Checkpoint 300, which separates Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank from Jerusalem.”
Baha’ AbuShanab is a film production graduate from Dar Al-Kalima University College of Arts and Culture in Bethlehem, Palestine. Before this, he received his Associate Diploma in Documentary Film Production from the same University College in 2015. During his six years of studies, he produced several film projects, including “The Living of the Pigeons” an award-winning 16-minute documentary that portrays the harsh experience of Palestinian workers crossing an Israeli checkpoint near Bethlehem to reach their workplaces inside Israel. The documentary was screened in more than 32 film festivals worldwide, including in France, the USA, Italy, Germany, UAE, and Palestine. Baha’ currently works as a freelancer and plans to obtain his master’s degree in filmmaking.
In this APTLI lecture (July 2021) Salim Abu Jabal speaks about his film Roshmia. As his first feature, ‘Roshmia’ (2015) won 13 awards around the world. It was awarded “Special Jury Prize” at Dubai Int’l Film Festival, “Golden Oasis” at Gabes Int’l Arab Film Festival, “Grand Prize” at Festival Int’l Cinema Tetouan, “Best Documentary, Open Eyes Award” at MedFilm Festival Rome, “Special Jury Prize” at Algeria International Cinema Festival and other awards. This documentary was screened at IDFA 2015.
Salim Abu Jabal is an award winning filmmaker born in the Occupied Golan Heights. He studied theatre and Arabic literature at the University of Haifa, and scriptwriting. He worked as a journalist and film critic in various newspapers and then pursued a career in TV and cinema. Since then, he produced and directed several films, series and programs and was best known for his roles as casting director and producer of renowned award-winning films.
In 2005, Salim founded a traveling film festival ‘Films from behind the wall’ that specialized in Palestinian cinema from the West Bank and Gaza. In 2013, he founded a Cinema Club dedicated to the dissemination of art house and independent cinema in Haifa, Ramallah, Gaza, Bethlehem and Jenin.