\n
\nLONDON: The documentary \u201cWalled Off,\u201d which premiered in Italy on Thursday, features a star-studded collaboration of active voices in the public eye speaking out about Palestine.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\nThe film is written and directed by Vin Arfuso, an American filmmaker of Palestinian and Italian descent, and co-produced by American-Palestinian model and musician Anwar Hadid<\/p>\n
\nOther producers on the project are Kweku Mandela, grandson of the former South African president and anti-apartheid campaigner Nelson Mandela, and Pink Floyd co-founder Roger Waters.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\nThe pre-release screening of \u201cWalled Off\u201d\u00a0 took place at San Carlo auditorium in Albenga, in northern Italy, as part of European artist-activist Cake$\u2019s debut solo exhibition \u201cA Child Is Born In Bethlehem.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nTaking its title from the Walled Off Hotel in Bethlehem, owned and designed by anonymous British artist Banksy, the film underlines the importance of socially and politically engaged art.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\nThe documentary follows Hadid as he explores the hotel\u2019s site-specific installations and storied halls with head manager Wissam Salsa.<\/p>\n
\nLocated next to Israel’s separation wall, which encloses occupied Palestine and annexes part of its land, Banksy said it has the \u201cworst view of any hotel in the world.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\nTherefore the title \u201cWalled Off\u201d is also a wordplay, underlining that, just as Palestinians are “walled in,” Palestine is “walled off” to the rest of the world. In this sense, the film lets viewers in to join Hadid and Arfuso on their journey.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\nHadid and Arfuso have been friends since 2018, and first traveled to the West Bank together in April 2019, when Arfuso shot a music video for Hadid\u2019s song \u201cProgression 101.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nThe two returned six months later and filmed \u201cWalled Off ” over 10 days \u201cguerrilla style\u201d after Arfuso\u2019s equipment was withheld on arrival in Israel.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\nArfuso told Arab News that this meant that he had to film with an iPhone at times, or mix and match whatever camera and lens he had available.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\nHowever, the very rawness of Arfuso\u2019s \u201cimperfect\u201d filmmaking style highlights the tragic beauty of Palestinian resilience, while avoiding any glamorization of the occupation.<\/p>\n
\nAs a manifestation of Arfuso and Hadid\u2019s dedication to completing the documentary, the cinematic approach perfectly mirrors what is at the heart of the story \u2014 that visual activism matters.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\nLater scenes feature archival footage stretching back over five decades, which supports the story\u2019s message on multiple levels.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\u201cWalled Off\u201d achieves its aim of challenging the Western media narrative regarding the Palestinian struggle with admirable frankness and surprising wit.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\nIt also serves as a compelling look at injustice, chronicling the destruction of Palestinian lives, property, public life, and the daily struggle for human dignity in Palestine.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\nGrounding Arafat as a national identity symbol, the film tells the larger story of the Oslo Accords and the peace we almost achieved. While it is heartbreaking to see the possibility of a better future slip away, it also serves as a reminder that it is not impossible. In this way, the film encourages viewers to keep strategizing for change.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\u201cArt should comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable,\u201d Banksy says.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\nAs a form of art itself, \u201cWalled Off\u201d has done exactly that.<\/p>\n
\nHadid and Arfuso both make appearances, but this does not detract from the film\u2019s message.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\u201cIt was very important for me and Anwar not to make it about us. We don\u2019t want the selling point to be us; we want the selling point to be, if there is one, the children of Palestine, and what\u2019s important and what\u2019s happening on the ground,\u201d Arfuso said.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\u201cWe faced a backlash, but the best thing about it is that we welcome it; we are only calling for human rights. If there\u2019s a backlash for calling for human rights, clearly there\u2019s something wrong in that situation and, hopefully, that will get people to look deeper into it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\u201cWalled Off\u201d will be released in early October.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\n
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