OBOR KALANDIA
Palästina 2002 – Director: Sobhi al Zobaidi – Original language: arabisch – Subtitles: English – Length: 50 min.
A video-diary, born out of the desperate need to film. A chronicle of daily life during the first year of the Al-Aqsa-Intifada, after the attacks on September 11, under the perpetual Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories. Filmmaker Sobhi al-Zobaidi lives in Ramallah with his wife and baby daughter. "Kalandia" is the checkpoint the family has to cross, whenever they want to get to Jerusalem. The film shows the humiliation Palestinians suffer there every single day. It depicts the economic oppression of this people and the horrors of destruction and brutality. And yet: "My interest is in the power of life, not the power that can destroy it." Al-Zobaidi shows how many Israelis and Palestinians treat each other with perfect respect and generosity. And he gives an impression of the ability of people to live their lives, even in a permanent state of siege.
"Sometimes the Israeli desire can be read to reduce us to a part of their past. Like the Americans did with the natives, they want to put us in a museum and forget about us."
Sobhi al-Zobaidi
English/Original Title: Crossing Kalandia. Writer: Sobhi al Zobaidi. Camera: Sobhi al Zobaidi. Sound: n/a. Editing: Sobhi al Zobaidi. Music: n/a. Production: reFugee camp productions. Producer: Sobhi al Zobaidi. International Sales: Mikado Film.
