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More than 350,000
Palestinian refugees
live in Lebanon, 15,000
of them in the refugee
camp of Shatila in
Beirut. Through the eyes
of two children who live
in this camp, Issa and
Farah, this documentary
explores the
determination to keep
family and dreams
thriving in a landscape
that has been sculpted
by war, poverty, grief
and displacement.
Issa, a little boy who
lives with his
grandfather, sustained
severe injuries when he
was hit by a speeding
car and has trouble
learning in school.
Farah lives with her
parents and two sisters.
The children’s memories
and history are shaped
by the violence that
surrounds them. Both
have lost family in the
massacres and attacks
that followed the 1948
Diaspora and the 1982
invasion of Lebanon by
Israel. An aunt was
decapitated, an uncle
shot — every family and
friend they know has
lost someone to the
violence.
The filmmaker gives Issa
and Farah a small video
camera to film their
lives and learn how they
see their own world.
Both children start
asking their elders how
they felt about leaving
Palestine. When queried
about what he wants to
tell the new generation
of Palestinians, an old
man asks that Palestine
must never be forgotten.
“Promise me that,” he
tells the children.
The poverty of Shatila
offers little escape.
Farah’s mother says that
when her children tell
her their dreams she
feels “awkward and
afraid to shock them
with the truth,” and
wonders about the kind
of future that lies
ahead. Yet both children
inspire viewers with
their ability to keep
their hearts and minds
open. Farah tells a
nursery class,
“Imagining is the main
thing, even if you only
draw a bird.” And Issa
has a wonderful dream
where he is a prince.
While the focus is on
the lives of children,
this documentary is not
suitable for younger
children. It is
appropriate for mature
young adults, and
university and community
audiences interested in
learning about the
Israeli-Palestinian
conflict, life in the
refugee camps, and the
lasting effects of war. |
