PLEASE ANNOUNCE AND POST:

Banned in Israel!!

Palestinian film "Jenin, Jenin", barred from public venues in the "only 
democracy in the Middle East," to show in Madison.

Jenin, Jenin was directed and co-produced by Palestinian-Israeli actor 
and documentarian Mohammed Bakri several weeks after last spring's 
Israeli military operation against the town and refugee camp of Jenin in 
the Occupied West Bank

That operation ended with sections of Jenin flattened and scores of 
Palestinians dead. Palestinians as well as numerous human rights groups 
accused Israel of committing war crimes in the April 2002 attack on the 
refugee camp. The film shows the huge area of destruction where Israeli 
bulldozers leveled more than 100 homes, and includes testimony from 
residents following the Israeli army's incursion. Importantly, Jenin, 
Jenin depicts the extent to which the prolonged oppression and terror 
has affected the state of mind of the Palestinian inhabitants.

Jenin, Jenin speaks for itself. Bakri records the testimonies of local 
residents, men, women and children. He has said that he's out to tell 
the world: "Look where the terror springs from. Look at the fertile 
ground, at the infrastructure that you've created, upon which terror has 
blossomed. And then, perhaps, they'll do some soul searching."

Jenin, Jenin was banned by Israel's film ratings board last December. 
The censor said the documentary "distorted presentation of events in the 
guise of democratic truth which could mislead the public". It said the 
public could be misled into thinking that Israeli soldiers had committed 
war crimes. The board judged the documentary to be a "one-sided 
propaganda film". In protest, Bakri said, "It is a real shame for me 
because it shows that democracy in Israel is not reserved for all of its 
citizens."

Jenin, Jenin is dedicated to Iyad Sanmudi, the producer of the film, who 
returned home to Yamun after shooting the film. On June 23, as Israeli 
forces besieged Yamun, Samudi was shot and killed as he was leaving a 
military-closed area with three friends.

The film will be followed by a panel discussion and will include an eye 
witness to Jenin's destruction.

Thursday, March 6th, 7:00pm
Rm. 2650 Humanities Building

Sponsored by the Palestine-Israel Peace and Justice Alliance (PIPAJA)