Filmmakers in Gaza have finished making what is believed to be the first Palestinian animated feature in 3D in a bid to show a fresh perspective on life through a childs eyes. Called The Scarecrow, the 40-minute production tells the story of a nine-year-old orphan named Rima and the scarecrow she was given by her […]
Filmmakers in Gaza have finished making what is believed to be the first Palestinian animated feature in 3D in a bid to show a fresh perspective on life through a childs eyes.
Called The Scarecrow, the 40-minute production tells the story of a nine-year-old orphan named Rima and the scarecrow she was given by her parents who died in a car crash.
It is a story which evokes some of the suffering of Palestinian refugees, says director Khalil al-Mazen.
The world is used to seeing Palestinian children surrounded by death, destruction and war, but this film focuses on their simple dreams, he told AFP.
Judgement (on the conflict) is left to the viewer, says Mazen, who holds a diploma in filmmaking from the Saint Petersburg Academy in Russia and has already made several films and documentaries.
For designer and lighting specialist Usayd Madi, 23, the main aim of the featurette is to communicate the brutality of occupation, which doesnt spare children.
It took a team of 12 local animators and designers nine months of training in direction and production to complete the World Bank funded film, at a cost of $147,000 (112, 500 euros).
Zainab Bakri, who designed Rima’s home, her village and clothing worn by the character and her friends dressed in a traditional embroidered robe – is confident the project will be well received.
“Imagination and animation are more accessible than documentaries,” she said. The project took shape in an improvised studio in Gaza.
The film will be first shown to a local audience – no small feat in the Hama run Gaza strip where ther eis not a single working cinema. There is not yet a date for a first screening which the directors says is likely to take place in a town hall or some othe rlocal venue.
It is not the first time that Gaza has made a foray into the high-tech world of 3D. Three years ago the armed wing of teh Hama movement – Ezzedine al Qassam Brigades released a short 3D animation online about the possible fate of Gilad Shalit, an Israeli soldier whom they had been holding since 2006.
Those involved in The Scarecrow are hoping that their film will go a lot further with Abu Hamra saying she belives it will eventually make it big internationally.
“We are working to distribute the film abroad once it has been shown in Gaza,” says Nur al Khudari, director of the Gaza based Zeitun Foundation, which started the project.
First stop is theArab world. “We are in talks with Arabic language satellite TV channels to sell it,” he added.
The idea is to throw a creative light on the Palestinian situation.
– AFP
