The Educational Research and Development Programme (ERDP) of the A. M. Qattan Foundation (AMQF) has recently organised a closing ceremony of the Cinema Culture project. Over a period of six months, the ERDP implemented the project in partnership with the Madrasati Palestine initiative.
Participating teachers screened the films, which they produced jointly with their students during the project lifetime. Supervised by local researchers and filmmakers, teachers were involved in a long-term training course on filmmaking. In conjunction with the training event, teachers transferred the experience to their students.
The films produced jointly with students address a variety of themes. One film starts with a sentence by a narrator: “The idea of death is terrifying. Someone is running, playing and talking, but suddenly disappears.” The film features children’s failure to take care of their moms when they get old. It begins with the ugly possibility of losing one’s mom.
Ghassan Naddaf, a teacher from the Palestine Montessori School, made the film with his students. Of these, Seif Mahmoud and Abdullah Sadaqah, students of the seventh grade, attended the closing ceremony. They said they received theatre training from teacher Naddaf. However, this was their first experience in the cinema. They played the roles of older persons, turning their experience into an interesting challenge. “The teacher allowed us to change the text and our performance. We were not constrained by the script.” They concluded.
Mohammed Hamed, Ahmed Emad and Mohammed Firas, fourth grade students at the Bir Quza Basic School, passionately talked about their film The School Trip. The film tells the story of a student who does not have money for the trip. In secret, he works every day before he goes to school. Without being noticed, the school headmaster helps the student. He gives a financial award to the student for his outstanding achievement. Finally, the student can go on the trip for free.
Other films addressed a variety of themes: some teachers’ incessant scolding of students, damage caused by smoking, and homework burden, which denies many opportunities of exploration and prevents students from enjoying their childhood.
The screening also included The Ford of Comfort, a film produced by teachers as a group. Teachers were the writers, directors and actors of the film. While filmmaker George Khalifi supervised the script writing stage, the footage and montage processes were curated by filmmaker Rama Mar’i. The film takes place on a taxi, presenting several stories and interrelated positions in a sarcastic mould. It resembles an elitist dialogue that goes on between intellectuals on the role of art in changing the world. The driver is so bored with the conversation. He is busy calculating his annual losses caused by throwing away a cigarette every day because a passenger is disturbed by the smell.
Participating teachers discussed the footage conditions, addressing equipment, support from the school community, how they employed available resources to make the film, and work challenges in a team with other teachers.
The AMQF and Madrasati Palestine will organise another training course soon. In addition to training on script writing, footage and montage, the course will feature readings on the cinema, philosophy and education.