While “The Heart of Jenin” is celebrated internationally and most recently was awarded the German Film Price, Jenin is still lacking a place where its very own story could be told. The only cinema in town was closed more than twenty years ago. Parallel, the children from the cultural center that Ishmael opened after his son’s death wanted to produce their first short films, only to realize that they had no place to show it in. The decision to reopen the cinema emerged and Project Cinema Jenin was born. Today, Marcus Vetter, Fakhri Hamad and Ismael Khatib, together with a group of enthusiastic locals and foreigners, are working tirelessly to bring the old cinema back to life.
This resurrection of Cinema Jenin has enormous dramatic potential. Its story is being told in the form of a documentary which follows a parallel process where the children of the camp make a film about their lives. At the same time they are taking part in reopening what would become their future stage as well as the place where through “The Heart of Jenin” they will be able to tell the story about how it all began to the next generation.
"Project Cinema Jenin - The Film"
coming soon to theatres near you. |
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The cinema resides in a large building surrounded by a vast garden. It has 200 seats on the first floor and another 200 on a balcony in which there are also private booths. However, having been closed for so long, it had been used as a dump and was in a deplorable condition. The wooden chairs were in a state of advanced decay, the old 35mm projectors were out of service and the screen had been torn up. The building itself and all pieces of equipment were in need of repair or replacement.
Keeping its original design, local professionals supported by a team of international volunteers started clearing out the building, restoring the chairs, rebuilding the stage, renewing the toilets, repairing the roof, and fixing the air conditioning and the electrical system in summer 2009. Also, the garden surrounding the cinema is planned to be transformed into an outdoor cinema and a cafeteria and will provide the only public outdoor space in Jenin. As of February 2010, most of the main works are completed. Though more work still needs to be done, for instance regarding the careful restoration of the chairs and a new sound insulation, the building is now almost ready for the technical equipment to be installed. The cinema projection, the light and the sound systems - by enlarge donated by specialized equipment suppliers - will be installed under the supervision of two German production companies, guaranteeing high quality digital cinematic standards. |
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The cinema is scheduled to open its doors to the public in August 2010 in a glamorous event. The local team currently involved in the renovation process will act as the core management team. Together with a group of young and old people from Jenin, parts of whom are already receiving technical training, they will be running the cinema. The cinemas programming will be supervised by a board of directors that consists of local dignitaries, Palestinian and international film makers. It is planned to have six screenings along with other activities every day. In each section the audience can vote for the films they liked most. These films will be shown on weekends.
The official ticket price will be 5 NIS (1 EUR). It is hard to estimate the number of daily visitors to the cinema. Yet, the combined offering of screenings and performances inside the cinema and in its open air part as well as the garden with its cafeteria are believed to attract a lot of people also from outside Jenin. The business plan calculations are based upon a conservative minimum of 300 visitors a day, a number which should increase through the offering of additional activities. These will include educational screenings in cooperation with schools and special programs for women to include these important target groups. Film and theatre workshops in cooperation with local and international partners will get more people involved in the cinema. At the same time, the stages of Cinema Jenin will serve as the venues to present all cultural goods created this way, including (short) films, theatre plays, music concerts, etc. as well as for private feats such as weddings. The cultural center that Cinema Jenin is becoming will not only increase Jenins overall attractiveness but also reintegrate the isolated region into an international cultural discourse. |
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