Unique, intimate and at times comical docu that offers a glimpse into the lives of Palestinian refugees in the Ain el-Helweh (‘sweet spring’) camp in Lebanon.
Seventy thousand refugees live on a few square kilometres in the Ain el-Helweh (‘sweet spring’) camp in Lebanon. Filmmaker Mahdi Fleifel spent much of his youth there, but when violence against the Palestinians flared up, he and his family departed for Denmark. Every couple of years he returns to the camp to capture the lives of friends and family on film. The result is a cheerful and touching video diary. The central element of the story is his friendship with Abu Iyad. Both of them are passionate about football and love to discuss Palestinian politics.
But while Fleifel can come and go as he pleases, his friend is doomed to a dead-end existence that ties him to the camp forever. This inequality makes their friendship all the more precious, but also prone to tension.
Watch the trailer here:
About Outdoor Cinema: migration
This summer Humanity House opens its terrace for a series of open-air films: Outdoor Cinema 2016! The theme this year is migration.
We are showing films and documentaries from all corners of the world about people who take the momentous decision to leave their homeland. Leaving a dangerous place, arriving in the land of their dreams, or stranded in a place where they don’t want to be at all: how do they relate to new and unknown surroundings, and to policies often aimed at keeping them out? Come to this special summer cinema series and step into the world of the migrant.
About the speaker
After the movie, we will have a conversation with director Mahdi Fleifel. He graduated from the British National Film and Television School in 2009. His work revolves around refugees. Fleifel currently lives in Denmark.
Why this docu?
Programmer Carry: “It is always said that refugee camps are a temporary solution. Even so, many refugee camps turn into permanent emergency settlements, and according to the UNHCR a refugee lives for an average of 20 years in a refugee camp. Some Palestinians have been living in refugee camps for 70 years. The film ‘A World Not Ours’ shows in unique style what this means for the people themselves and for the Palestinian community. The use of archival material and the personal story of the filmmaker make this a very personal film, but it also offers great insight into the history of the Palestinian refugee question.
Good to know
Director: Mahdi Fleifel
Length: 93 minutes
Subtitles: English subtitles
Start: the film starts at sunset
Rain: If it rains we will screen the film in our (covered!) Genèva Room
All films in the open air
28-07-16 Film: Stranded in Canton
03-08-16 Docu: The Tiniest Place
04-08-16 Film: Norteado
10-08-16 Docu: A World Not Ours
11-08-16 Film: Children of Men
17-08-16 Docu: They will have to kill us first
18-08-16 Film: Dheepan
24-08-16 Docu: Special Flight
25-08-16 Film: The Terminal