They Do Not Exist (1974) by Mustafa Abu Ali, 25 minutes, Arabic and English
Synopsis:
Recovered from the rubble of Beirut after 1982, this is one of Abu Ali's early films that has only recently become accessible. Filmed under exceptional circumstances, the director—who established the PLO's film unit—documents life in Lebanon's refugee camps, the impact of Israeli bombings, and the experiences of guerrillas in training camps. They Do Not Exist is a distinctive work that highlights the fusion of political and artistic expression, now acknowledged as a foundational piece in the evolution of Palestinian cinema.
Looted and Hidden – Palestinian Archives in Israel (2017) by Rona Sela, 46 minutes, English
Synopsis:
The Film Looted and Hidden explores the fate of Palestinian archives, now buried in Israeli military vaults, that were seized by Israeli forces during the 1948-49 Nakba and the 1982 siege of Beirut. The film revives a valuable visual record that Israel has tried to keep hidden, highlighting archives of films and photographs that chronicled the Palestinian Revolution from the late 1960s to the early 1980s—a category to which Abu Ali’s They Do Not Exist belongs. Through images uncovered after years of research in Israeli military archives, Sela’s documentary challenges colonial archival practices, revealing a rarely seen aspect of the Palestinian fight against systematic erasure.
The two screenings will be followed by a moderated discussion with Riccardo Bocco, Emeritus Professor in Anthropology and Sociology at the Geneva Graduate Institute.
Event Organise by Atwa Jaber, Devarya Srivastava, and Nicolas Hafner. Doctoral Researchers (SNSF-Doc.CH), Geneva Graduate Institute