MIFTAH interviews media expert and women's activist Amal Juma' on MIFTAH's role in broadening her career and professional horizons.
First of all, could you tell us a bit about yourself and your work? What brought you to MIFTAH?
My name is Amal Juma' from Jenin and I am the audio and visual media coordinator for the Women's Affairs Team. I first got involved with MIFTAH when I participated with the organization as an intern in one of its projects on training women on how to run election campaigns. My relationship with the organization can be traced back to MIFTAH's beginnings when it used to give training on how to develop the work of local radio and television stations. This is of course, over and above my personal relationships with colleagues at MIFTAH. I started then to work in screening and distributing documentary films after the film festival carried out by MIFTAH in conjunction with Al Najah University in Nablus. This was all part of their ongoing project, Gender Peace and Security funded by UNFPA. At the time, MIFTAH asked me to train a group of broadcasting students from Al Najah and who participated in the 2008 Documentary Film Festival. MIFTAH contracted me to show the films that were part of the festival to interested organizations and parties. The idea to work with the students was in order to raise their awareness of gender-related issues when choosing and producing films. I gave them a three-day training course in conjunction with director Juliano Khamees, who worked with them on technical issues. The difference among the students was noticeable, even if only slightly, in that it was reflected in the choice of topics the students picked for their films. There were three films about women's issues.
Why did MIFTAH approach you?
I think MIFTAH approached me because of my experience in women's issues, which has spanned over the past 15 years. I currently work with the audio-visual department in the Women's Affairs Team. This is in addition to my presenting the radio program "Against the Silence" on the Voice of Palestine, prepared and produced by the Women's Affairs Team and which addresses women's issues in depth. My work in women's affairs has helped me a lot to work with marginalized and oppressed sectors; I am also a member of the media forum for women. I also participated in a course on monitoring the image of women in the press as part of MIFTAH's Gender, Women and Security Project, which has allowed me to maintain continuous contact with the organization.
Could you tell us a little bit about your work, especially in regards to screening the documentary films?
As part of the Gender, Women and Security Project, MIFTAH contracted me to show the films produced at the 2008 documentary film festival in various institutions and organizations. Keep in mind that the films shown at the 2007 and 2008 festivals were not shown except during the festival itself even though they were quality films that took a lot of effort from the students to produce.
As for the films from the 2009 festival, we began on June 15, 2009 with a series of screenings. They were distributed throughout various areas and women's and educational institutions and universities. We also had private screenings of the films. In all, there were about 20 screenings among the different sectors and at various venues.
What types of films were shown?
Our first screening was of a film entitled "Khirbet Um Touba" about the hardships faced by children on their way to school in between Jewish settlements in the Hebron area. It was very emotional, especially since it was shown to a group of children. The second film was entitled "Blood Relations", which is about a child from the Jenin refugee camp who suffers from Thalassemia. This was also shown to an audience of 24 children. For 12 of these children, this was the first time they had ever heard of the disease. The others had an idea about the disease's link to marriage but had no details.
Later, we showed the film "Black and White" which addresses the issue of obliterating illiteracy. The film talks about an elderly woman who is insistent on learning to read and write. We then showed "A Print of Hope" which revolves around a child with cancer. "Iman" is primarily a women's film because it deals with the suffering of the wife of a martyr who struggles to get her inheritance rights. This film offered an opportunity to speak about women's legal rights, especially since it is still not high on the agenda of women's issues. The Women's Affairs Team adopted this film and showed it during its own workshops. We also screened the film "Zawaya (corners)" which is about a group of Sufis, an Islamic sect in Nablus.
How would you assess the interaction of the audience with the films?
I think the films touched on very important aspects of various sectors of the public. Most of the films stirred up discussions after they were done. Given this, I believe it is very important to raise an issue that affects so many sectors of society, especially the women and youth sectors who are often excluded from most community activities. This is what makes these films so special – they reached out to various sectors in society - youth, children, the elderly and women.
Did you feel that your participation in MIFTAH's workshops have helped you to develop your other skills.
No doubt. I think that any positive experience a person is subjected to, no matter how simple, leaves an impact on them and adds to their overall experience. For example, I learned to ask people how they feel after the screening of a film rather than only what they learned. Even during the film's screening, I watch the facial expressions of the people to detect their reactions. Now, I am also working hard to network with the interested organizations to show these films, which will benefit their own work and the sectors which they target.
Has working with MIFTAH opened up new opportunities for you in your professional life?
Yes, of course. While I was showing the films, I was contacted by many directors and producers asking me to show their films. I became a reference point for a large group of the best documentary films around. Of course, this opened doors for me in this field. Once, I was approached by a woman who asked me if I had a film about early marriage. She assumed I had my own office for these documentary films. This gave me the idea to start an office of this sort, which would include films produced by various organizations because there is a desperate need to benefit from and show these films to the public.
How would you assess MIFTAH's place among other civil society institutions in Palestine?
I believe that the more the projects involve average people, the more the institution's name becomes known in society and among a wider platform of sectors. This is what happened in my experience of screening the documentary films through MIFTAH because the films involved a number of different sectors of society: youth, children, the elderly and women.
Do you have anything else to add?
I hope there will be more productions of documentary films, which address women and gender issues. I would also suggest an expansion of the film festival, so it would include the various universities in the West Bank and not just Al Najah University. This way the festival could be held at a different university each year. Finally, I would like to thank MIFTAH for its important ongoing work in this field and in others.
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