video: "harvesting oranges"

2008-10-14

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early in the morning, between 5 and 6am, a wave of footsteps and whispering voices can be heard in the narrow alleys of bourj ash-shamali refugee camp in south lebanon. it is in the darkness of the early morning hours that hundreds of palestinian day laborers leave their homes, gather in the streets and then head to their work in the fields and plantations of the region. more than two-thirds of the camp's labor force work at least part-time in agriculture.

lebanese law treats the more than 400,000 palestinian refugees in the country as foreigners. therefore they are not allowed to own land, they are forbidden to work in dozens of jobs, they aren't guaranteed a minimum wage and they aren't integrated into the lebanese social and medical insurance system. these various forms of exclusion make them vulnerable and exploitable in many ways.

this 17-minute film is the result of a video workshop in bourj ash-shamali camp. it deals with various aspects of the work and life of palestinian day laborers in the plantations of south lebanon.
the film can be downloaded here (.mpeg/559mb) and here (.mov/231mb) in good quality. also, it can be watched here (part 1/2) on youtube or below.

part 1:


part 2:

video: "taxi"

2007-11-26

[de] [es] [it]
after almost 60 years in lebanon, palestinian refugees are still facing harsh conditions in their daily lives. they suffer from severe housing conditions in the refugee camps, poverty, racism and many forms of social, political and legal discrimination. in dozens of jobs, especially in those requiring special skills and higher education, palestinians are forbidden to work. one result of this discriminating policy is being treated in this short film: many well-educated refugees can't find jobs and therefore end up as taxi drivers, day laborers or shopkeepers.

this short film was produced in bourj ash-shamali refugee camp, near sour (south lebanon). bourj ash-shamali hosts 20,000 palestinian refugees, mostly from the north of palestine. thousands of its residents work in day labor, meaning: hard work, low wages, no job and therefore no income security.

the 10-minute film is a result of a video-workshop by a-films in october 2007. it can be downloaded here (.mov/129mb) and here (.mpeg/322mb) on archive as well as here (.mov/129mb) on indymedia.
it can be watched here on youtube or below:

video: "what future for the youth?"

2007-11-26

[de] [it]
this short documentary is the result of a video-workshop in the south lebanese village of siddiqine. it was conceptualized, directed, filmed and edited by a group of four young people from the village, with a-films' support. the two-week video training aimed at enabling young people to represent their own views of political, social and economical issues in their community by using the tool of video-making.

emigration is a widely discussed topic not only in siddiqine, but all over lebanon. siddiqine was hit hard during the war in 2006 and more than half of the village was destroyed, which lead to further social and economic pressures resulting in a stronger desire amongst many residents to emigrate.

the 17-minute video consists of interviews, a group discussion and scenes from siddiqine's streets in the early morning and in the evening, symbolizing the change in movement and atmosphere. villagers voice their concerns, hopes and assessments regarding the situation both at home and abroad and speak about their wishes to engage the hardships they face by trying to go abroad. the film also reveals that the desire of emigration has multiple roots and causes.

the short film can be downloaded here (.mov/242mb) and here (.mpeg/583mb) as well as from indymedia (.mov/242mb).
it can be watched here (part 1) and here (part 2) on youtube or below:

part 1:


part 2: