This screening is part of Palestine Cinema Days Around the World 2025.
Jenin, Jenin
Mohammed Bakri, 2002, 54′
In English and Arabic with Portuguese subtitles
‘Where is God’, an elderly man desperately wonders when surveying the debris in the Palestinian refugee camp Jenin. Israeli troops barged into the camp in March 2002. After a grim battle that lasted for days, a large part of the camp had been razed to the ground and, besides a number of soldiers, many civilians had been killed. This film shows the extent to which the prolonged oppression and terror has affected the state of mind of the Palestinian inhabitants of Jenin. Bitterness and grief are the prevailing feelings among the majority of the population. Many have lost loved ones or are still searching for victims and furniture among the debris. A little girl, who does not seem to be much older than twelve, tells her story but knows no fear. The ongoing violence in her day-to-day life only nourishes her feelings of hatred and the urge to take revenge. She tells what she would do to Prime Minister Sharon if he visited the camp and she shouts that the Palestinians will never give up the struggle. They will keep on producing children, who can continue the fight against injustice. The sad question forces itself on the spectator. What will become of a country, a people when its children are confronted with war and violence from a very early age?
Mohammad Bakri, born in 1953 in Bi’ina, Palestine, is a renowned Palestinian actor and film director. He completed his secondary education in Akko and pursued acting and Arabic literature at Tel Aviv University, graduating in 1976. Bakri is married to Leila and is a father to six children, including actors Adam, Ziad, and Saleh Bakri. His acting career began with notable theaters in Tel Aviv, Haifa, and Ramallah, leading to performances in both Hebrew and Arabic. Bakri’s film career spans various international projects, including French, Belgian, Dutch, Danish, Canadian, and Italian films. He is also recognized as a director, notably for the documentary “Jenin, Jenin.”
The event is a collaboration between Caixa Negra, Ratita Films, Filmlab Palestine and United Screens for Palestine.