Palestine Diary

Friday 16th November:

6.30 p.m. Arrived in darkness, at St. George's Cathedral Guest House on the East Side of Jerusalem, having toured around the city dropping people at their front doors, traveling in a very efficient airport shuttle service called a 'Sherot". The guest house is very basic, but feels like 'home' as this is my fourth trip to Jerusalem now. Religion is all around you in Jerusalem, so somehow it seems apt to be staying in a Christian enclave and hear the bell ringing and feel the silent atmosphere. Tomorrow will reintroduce me to the Pyalara Youth Team and I suspect this will be far from silent!

Flags flying over OPT

Saturday 17th November:

Breakfast near the cloisters: bread, cheese, cucumber and tomato, the staple morning diet. Collected from the hotel and drive to the new offices of Pyalara based in Ramallah. The wall has been built further now and it would be impossible to get to the original Pyalara location unless you are willing to drive for a long way. There is no alternative other than straight ahead now when you pass through the Qalandiya Checkpoint. The road to the right has been sealed along with so many others by this huge monstrosity of a brick wall - built of what I can only describe look like huge breeze blocks. A huge wall of separation. Wherever you are and wherever you want to go this is the obstacle. The dividing line between here and
there. Dust is everywhere, there has been no rain for so long and the road is still in a state of disrepair with bricks and rubble everywhere. It's been 7 years I understand. Apparently when it does rain, there is so much mud and debris to drive or worse to walk through. Expensive footwear is a waste of time here! Passing through the checkpoint to Palestine is an easy task, it will be the return journey that causes delay and problems.Ashnaf, the film's director, has braved the 'hot' chair and given me an interview in English about himself. And now I sit, surrounded with the Pyalara young people, who are busy preparing for their weekly Sunday morning transmission - the only programme for youth in Palestine - a studio based magazine show, called Alli Sotak. Soon I will go to check out the location for Ahmed's Film.

Amary Refugee Camp: The location turned out to be 'hopefully' perfect. The difficulty was to find a woman willing to be 'our' woman in the film. Many women within this age group had husbands who objected - it was proving to be a problem. One of the women had just had her brother taken by the Israelis, and was in no mood to 'act' within a film. Just a small example of the problems that are still happening in this 'quiet' part of Palestine. In fact, I realize now that the emphasis is on 'quiet' as opposed to 'peaceful'. However, as with all problems connected with filming the end solution turned out to come round in a circle as the lady who lived in the house we are going to use, agreed to participate and with a call to her husband, had his agreement. So....problem solved. This afternoon we decide on the young boy. Another problem with hopefully a good solution. We've found Annan! But will confirm tomorrow. Time is running out as we hope to start filming on Monday. The return journey through the checkpoint was fairly uneventful except for a sniffer dog inspecting a parcel at the back of the car. A laptop! However, I guess they have their job to do, but sometimes it feels like just an excuse to assert authority.

Yasser Arafat's grave. Opened only a couple of weeks ago

And of course more washing!

Sunday 18th November

Meetings, meetings, meetings. In the evening I returned to the B & B and finalised the shooting schedule for the week. It is fairly tight. I wonder whether it will be achievable. We have confirmed that the boy will be Annan…so from now on it is Annan's Film. Full of trepidation and pre shoot nerves, I manage to fall asleep with the knowledge I must leave tomorrow morning by 5.30.

Monday 19th November

Getting out of bed at 4.30 which in England is 2.30 in the morning is no easy task and makes one wonder about the sensibility of this undertaking. It is dark and it is cold. I hear the Koran chanting and it makes me get up. As it is so early and I am unused to the bus journey I'm splashing out on a taxi. A bit of a luxury.
Everyone is ready on location and the shoot starts.

There is always a sigh of relief when the first shot is 'in the can' and we settle into some sort of routine. We suffer the usual filming problems, but so far so good. We have most of what we need for the beginning of the film and the beginning of the street scenes. As rain is forecast we have left the interiors until Tuesday. We are pleased. So far so good. Annan is good…his mother is good….the location is friendly.

And then when least expected Annan decides this is not what he wants to do and filming stops abruptly. When you are working with children, you are not in control, however powerful you and the rest of the team are. The child always wins. We stop and wait….and wait…...After a while we decide to change actor and go for our second choice. We are just about to re-shoot the whole of the morning's work, when Annan decides that actually it is what he wants to do and we continue. We are smiling. We are happy again.

Tuesday 20th November

No rain! We continue with the street scenes. Annan is now enthusiastic. We bought him a box of crayons and he colours the storyboard every time we complete a scene. He is taking this task very seriously.

This refugee camp may have very little money, but it has huge reserves of hospitality. Tea, coffee, snacks, lunches and more and more refreshment is lavished on us. The atmosphere is something to experience. Another good day.

Wednesday 21st November

Rain in abundance. I master the bus situation, the check point situation and arrive at the offices at 6.30. We travel to the location and set up for the interior house scenes. Annan is pleased to see us and so are the rest of the family and kids. It's beginning to feel like 'our' home now.

Filming with children has its moments - both good and bad. I look at this 7 yr old boy and realize how heavily we rely on his cooperation. He can plunge the crew into depths of despair and then within minutes have us all whooping with glee. Amazing!

It rains all day and sadly it will be impossible to continue with the exterior shots tomorrow as the whole area is absolutely soaked and there is more rain continuously throughout the night. We decide to edit some of the sequences tomorrow and hope that everything dries out! It will be great not to have to get up at 4.30!
Will I sleep with the thought of the un shot scenes and the shoot days becoming fewer and fewer. Will Annan perform on the very last scene, the biggest and most important scene. Who knows! Good Night.

and of course ....... washing!

Thursday 22nd November

Spent the day looking at the rushes. They look good and Annan with his 7 yr old guile, has successfully completed half the film We all feel better for a sleep and are full of optimism to re start the shoot tomorrow. The weather is still not good.

This evening I am taken to a beautiful restaurant overlooking Jerusalem for 'steak on the stone'.

The Director: Ashraf viewing rushes

Friday 23rd November

Today we start shooting at 8 o'clcok. Quite a lie in. Friday is a day of rest here for Muslims, so we don't want to impose ourselves too early on the family and on Annan. When we do arrive, however, they wonder why we are late!

We successfully complete a couple of scenes, but due to the day and the requirement for prayers and a huge family lunch we agree to only film until midday. However, we are suddenly presented with another splendid lunch. No way can we refuse it. The table is again covered with the biggest selection of dishes. How do they do it these women. They seem to be able to magic up food for numerous numbers without any warning. I promise to send a photograph of myself after cooking! She laughs.

So….after eating…..we just manage to shoot another scene.

Tonight at 12 o'clock there is a small tremor from an earthquake…..but I don't hear it or feel it.

Saturday 24th November

Today we manage to get through a good number of scenes thanks to Ashraf's home made tracking device

Annan is on the whole fairly obliging and it could be that we will be able to complete the film…..all of us are silently worried about tomorrow. We intend to do the final scene which will involve the entire neighbourhood in shot.

Our spectators

I get held up for an hour or so at the checkpoint. If you are under the disillusionment that I'm somewhere hot, let me tell you it is freezing cold!

Arene who has decided that she can see what's going on from up here!

Sunday 25th November

The weather has warmed up a little today. We shoot a couple of sequences and then tuck into a huge breakfast. We chose our camera position, we prepare the street, we have our props to hand. All we need now are children and people from the community to help 'clean the street' for the film. Normally we are surrounded by spectators. Normally we cannot move for people. Normally we cannot keep everyone quiet. But today, just when we need them…they all seem to have disappeared. No one knows why or where. As I don't speak Arabic, I am learning to live with ignorance. There is a lot of talking and animated faces amongst the crew. I look at their faces to see if this could be a good thing that is happening or bad. There is no telling. Shall I ask 'the question' or just wait.

And then suddenly a few people arrive and before I know it we have our 'cleaners', we have taken our angles, we have the wide shots, the close shots, the mid shots and the tracking handheld shots. It is all complete. Hooray…it is done and Annan did it! It's strange how the scene you worry about most, actually gives you the least problems when you shoot. Filming!

I sit on the bus marvelling at how much we have achieved. Just one small sequence tomorrow and we have completed shooting. Some scenes have worked well, others were a disappointment. But overall, I feel optimistic. The refugee camp has enjoyed the distraction, the crew have enjoyed the diversity of shooting a drama-type programme, the Director has enjoyed the challenge and I have enjoyed being here and soaking up the atmosphere and watching.

It takes me 4 hours to get home. The checkpoint is closed. There are further checks throughout the journey. I accept the dangers of this life when I realize my nose is only inches from a hand poised on a pistol.

Monday 27th November

Our final day of filming. The dripping paint sequence

Another participant of the film who fell into his role with ease: Abu-aiman

Ashraf has realized that it is good to 'play the game' alongside Annan

We all must accept our disappointments and our successes. There are so many things we could have done differently, if only we'd known. But this is filming and it is probably not good to leave the location feeling over confident. Annan did mange to get to the end and I think he will feel very proud of himself when he finally sees the edited version.

I hope everyone will feel very proud when they see the final version. I hope we will be able to show the family and the refugee camp and that we will be able to enter the film into festivals all over the world. I hope that in some way or another it will have affected all of us who have worked on it. Pride, confidence, abilities, vision, fun, experience, friendship, success, and memories.

Tonight we go for dinner at Abheer's home. She has worked alongside us during the filming, but has also prepared and cooked the crew 'end of shoot' meal. What a privilege it is to enter these homes and to be made to feel so welcome. How would I ever be a tourist again. I sleep with no worries……
oh yes…just one…..how will it turn out in the end

Annie Gibbs