Palestinian Cinema

Post-War of 1948 The loss over control of Palestine was a major blow to all Muslims, leaving much of Jerusalem under Jewish control. Ever since then the Palestinians have been unable to live their normal lives. Many parts of Jerusalem where now restricted to Jews alone. A common theme of movies from this period is to deal with issues such as a search of a national identity and of persecution by the Jews.

Elia Suleiman Born in Nazareth in 1960 He moved to New York in 1981, where he directed his first two short-films. In 1993 he moved back to Palestine in search of his roots and of inspiration. There he was asked by the European Commission to start up the media and film department at Birzeit University. Elia prefers the use of amateur actors, and in both of his full- feature films he cast himself as the main character, giving his work a documentary-like feel.

Suleiman’s Filmography Divine Intervention (2002) * Cannes Film Festival 2002 Jury Award Chronicle of a Disappearance (1997) * Venice Film Festival 1996 Best First Feature Award War and Peace in Vesoul (1997) The Gulf War... What Next? (1993) Introduction to the End of an Argument (1990)

Chronicle of a Disappearance Suleiman’s first full-length movie He explores the effects that the Jewish occupation of what is now Israel has had on the Palestinian people, criticizing what he sees through the use of satire. The film is broken up into two parts: The first is a window into the everyday family life of Palestinians in Nazareth. Tiny imperfections in his culture are exposed and ridiculed. The second part has more of a political approach, the main focus being on Jerusalem. Scenes of police corruption and segregation show social injustices instilled on the Palestine people. Surprisingly, his film was intensely criticized by radical Arabs for the fact that Suleiman acknowledges the existence of Israel as a nation in it.