KITA Discourse Series 10/2017: Screening and Dialogue with Filmmaker, Marcus Vetter, 5 September 2017

On 5th September 2017 (Tuesday), KITA and co-organizers (see below for list) have co-organized KITA Discourse Series 10/2017 with the following details:

  • Title: CINEMA JENIN: The Story of a Dream – Screening and Dialogue with Filmmaker, Marcus Vetter
  • Venue: MENTION FINAS Room, Media Impact and Creative Industry Research Centre (IMIK), Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, UKM
  • Synopsis of the Film:Β Cinema Jenin follows an ambitious initiative to re-open a previouslyΒ abandoned cinema in the West Bank city of Jenin. Founded in theΒ 1960s, it was once the largest cinema in Palestine. Today it stands as aΒ hollow echo of its society. Re-building the cinema, Germans andΒ Palestinians come together evoking often comedic but always political and cultural ramifications. Cinema Jenin witnessed an intimate,Β nuanced and textured view into the city and its domestic affairs as wellΒ as the journey of a dedicated, loyal, often conflicted group of peopleΒ who hope that the re-building of the cinema will be a bridge to peace,Β freedom and Palestinian self-government. (source:Β http://www.cinemajenin.org/)

Some take home points/lessons from the film and dialogue with Marcus Vetter:

  1. Make film ethically, not for politics or propaganda;
  2. When we do a documentary, we are not allowed to destroy a person, even if he/she is corrupt or bad;
  3. The vicious cycle of violence, hate, insecurities, misperceptions needs to be stopped;
  4. People who come to Palestine needs to prioritizes on putting Palestinian’s hand and Israeli’s hand together, not to build more walls.

In the end KITA would like to thank Marcus Vetter the filmmaker for coming and sharing his insights, participants, as well as to the following co-organizers of the event:

Organizers

  1. Institute of Ethnic Studies (KITA)
  2. Social, Environmental and Developmental Sustainability Research Centre (SEEDS), Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, UKM
  3. Media Impact and Creative Industry Research Centre (IMIK), Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, UKM
  4. Institute of Malaysian and International Studies (IKMAS), UKM
  5. Faculty of Creative Industries, UTAR
  6. Tun Tan Cheng Lock Centre for Social and Policy Studies (TCLC), UTAR