This day, a sandstorm from the desert came over to Jenin. Nevertheless, preparations for the first Open-Day went ahead as planned: we cleaned the cinema, sorted out the front stairs that were heavily stained from the construction work, and swept the cinema garden to make it nice and comfortable for the expected visitors.

At five pm, on the dot, all was finished and the doors were opened: in came people of all ages and gender- families, elderly people, groups of children and young women and men. Women, who so far haven’t had any public space to meet in Jenin, besides the mosque, came in great numbers, many of them all made-up for this special event.

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Time goes by in Jenin. While I’m writing that story, my last day in the Cinema Jenin project has begun. 7 weeks I’ve been here, for some people that might be a long time, however, for me it was like a short film. I spent 50 days as a volunteer in this project and what I lived to see was much more than I expected when I had left Germany. Before I started my journey to the north of the west bank, friends of mine had mentioned: Why Jenin? Isn’t that a quite dangerous place? I was not sure, what I shall answer them. I didn’t’ know so much about Jenin with its approximately 50.000 inhabitants, including the neighboring refugee camp. After staying 7 weeks in the city and according to my experiences, I’m able to answer them: Don’t worry: it’s one of the most comfortable places I’ve ever been with lots of friendly and open minded people.

What I appreciate beyond that was the work in the project itself. Retrospectively, I’ve recognized a deep team building process between local and international members of the Cinema Jenin project. The project has become a melting pot for Palestinians and international volunteers, who have -due the common working process- grown up to one team.

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Three and a half months before the opening festival will take place in Jenin, two workshops offered by Cinema Jenin have been started. Volunteer Mike Gentile is very glad to lead a film and editing workshop with about 30 Palestinian locals: “It’s a new experience to offer a workshop and I really enjoy the time with the participants because all of them are very interested in learning how to create a film.” Both workshops are kindly sponsored by HERZENSSACHE e.V. from SWR Baden Baden.

That enthusiasm was a crucial factor for Mike to defer his intended studies, which would begin next month. According to that, he will stay in Jenin for an undetermined amount of time to build up a professional film team, which will be able to create advertising movies for the new LED-Screen. That huge screen (4×6m) to be placed on the cinema’s roof probably arrives in May. The participants are trained in technical skills like shooting, cutting and editing. “The workshop is a great experience for us, some kind of adventure”, Mona Staiti, a participant, said. One of the main characteristics of the workshop, which she especially points out, is the teamwork. “All of us are involved in discussions and processes so that everybody for example gets the chance to be a director or cameraman. We take all decisions together.”

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The Cinema building is still under construction, but one of our main objectives – media training and intercultural communication – has come to a further step. Right now, about 20 young people from Palestine and Germany hold a short film workshop together here at Cinema Jenin.

Together with Goethe-Institut and Beleza Film, young film makers are realizing their short film ideas under the topic “One day in the West Bank”. Over 50 young Palestinians, between 18 and 30 years old, had applied with their own film ideas. The submitted applications cover a wide spectrum of issues such as experiences at checkpoints, the role of women in Palestinian society, stories about their daily life. The 10 best are now developing, shooting, and cutting their own short film production together with a German partner under the professional and technical supervision of Beleza Film.
Forming a network, improving skills, exploring different cultural backgrounds and expressing them by film are seen as the most promising benefits by the participants.

In Summer 2010 the films are to be premiered at the Cinema in Jenin.

Wendelin Marmon

Yesterday, Matt kindly invited for a Jenin evening at his place in the centre of Berlin, a big apartment he is charing wi th 5 other nice people. He prepared a copious, delicious Palestinian buffet, as good as the ones we know from the kitchen table in our guesthouse – except that the humus was home-made, like everything else! Wonderful!

And on top of this, I had the chance to bring a surprise guest: Ismael! I got the phone call in the morning that the had arrived in Berlin – and I did not tell anybody.

We showed the Cinema Jenin trailer and photos from my last stay in Jenin, discussed and made plans with the ones who will come to Cinema Jenin guesthouse soon. Shortly before 11 pm, we watched TV: Ismael’s interview at Gottschalk’s People of the Year 2009.

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Having been introduced to “PROJECT CINEMA JENIN“ by a feature in 3sat’s “Kulturzeit“, my wife Angela and myself decided to spend two weeks working in Jenin during this summer. After visiting Marcus and Annette in Tübingen and after the exchange of lots of mails and phonecalls, our trip started August 4th with our Elal flight from Munich to Tel Aviv, our luggage filled with donations. After the first night in the beautiful “Austrian Hospice“ in Jerusalem’s Arabic Quarter, we met with Annette and 15 boys and girls from “Leibniz-Kolleg“ who also had decided to work as volunteers for CJ. The young folks started a short trip through Israel, so Angela, Annette and myself, we went to Jenin by bus. After a very hot three-hours-trip we were welcomed by Achim and Johannes and introduced to all the friendly Palestinian workers and volunteers. Angela, Annette and myself, we really were the first three people who ever slept in the Guesthouse! The next night, Achim joined us, and some days later the “Leibniz-Kolleg“ volunteers arrived.

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Salam aleikum! Shukran! Affuan! These are familiar words to all of us in the guesthouse. It is sufficient to make people smile in the street and shops, but after a wile, you really want to learn more. So we found out that literally around the corner there is a language school, the Student’s Scientific Society Center SSSC. The other day, we kindly have been invited to talk about our future cooperation, to get to know the teachers, their approach and the location. So Felix – who by the way speaks a fluent Arabic and myself (whom you will rarely see on any photo because I am always taking them), we went to school again…

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“…when the rice is done, take off the lid, place a large round serving platter over the top of the casserole, and carefully invert in one very quick motion….slowly and carefully lift the casserole. Serve!”

Hello to all friends of Cinema Jenin,
For my first post for the blog I have to write about this summer! Since 2 years we were travelling, Marcus and me, to Jenin, to forward the cinema project. Only with a few friends till then, looking for contracts, companies, material, workshops, cleaning the cinema, meeting our Palestinian friends, mainly children ….but this summer it was amazing! I managed 15 students coming from the Leibniz Kolleg (Studium Generale) in Tübingen to help renovating, creating, living with us in Jenin to support the Cinema, “Coming Soon”! I taught theatre in the Kolleg before, so I asked the students for helping in August, to come to Jenin…. and the more important for me was that they have the opportunity to travel around on both sides, Israel and Palestine, to experience on their own these two countries! Because I know that this is the only way to understand or to discuss this conflict and the special situation around!

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