Stories by first-time women filmmakers from Palestine

Young first time women film makers from Palestine, armed with a collection of stories of ordinary people from their strife-torn land were the focus at the recent 12th IAWRT Asian Women Film Festival 2016 here.
"We chose to make films on the grit and determination of the Palestine people. Though the land is marred with violence and suffering, people dream of a better tomorrow," 22-year-old Shahd Al Hindi said.
A final year engineering student, Shahd presented her film 'Wajih and Himran' about Wajih, a camel herder and his love for Himran his camel.
"The film is based in Jenin, a city north of Palestine. The presence of camels in Jenin is considered a thing due to the topography of the place. So we tracked down Wajih. We did not face any difficulty as everyone knew him and his camel in the city.

"But we were in for a surprise when we came to know of the deep bond between Wajih and Himran. The story is about their friendship and how they find solace in each other's company in times of strife," she said.
Another film 'Sami-Will and Faith' by Samah Al Khawaja about a person with Down syndrome also caught everyone's attention at the festival.

The film talked about Sami who works at a workshop making wooden learning aids and furniture for schools in Palestine. He devotes rest of his time to the activities of the church.
"With Sami, we wanted to show how everyone holds the potential to do something meaningful with his life. Though Sami has Down's syndrome, he like any other being, has his own likes, dislikes and aspiration. If given a chance, anybody can scale the heights of success," the 23-year-old filmmaker said.

The films were shown at a special section of 11 films from Palestine under 'Voices of Palestine' at the festival, which in its current edition includes 35 films from 13 countries.
According to the filmmakers although their films talked about "special subjects", they chose to show them as "common place".
When asked about the minorities in Palestine, Samah, whose film talked about a Christian character, said that in her country, people are not looked at through a prism of religion.
Samah, who studied Political Science and Journalism, is
currently working with a private foundation in Palestine.
"The foundation conducts workshops in drama education and trains people for making documentaries," she said.

The films were made with the help of Young Palestinian Filmmakers Society and the Ministry of Education of Palestine.
On being asked whether she would continue making films, Shahd said her parents would like her to complete her engineering first, but she can't bid adieu to a medium that is close to her heart.
"For me films are not just an artistic expression. It is about making a statement and finding answers to my questions. In fact, I learnt English from watching films," she added with a grin.