The Freedom Films campaign in 2013 was one of The Freedom Theatre’s first ventures into the world of crowd-funding. We hoped it would lead us to a community of supporters around the world who share our cause, and that collectively we might work towards a culture based on principles of equality and justice. The support we got more than surpassed our expectations. It is an honour to have so many people on board and in support of our goals.
With your backing, our filmmakers spent months filming and editing their work into five different films, fiction and documentary. Their common aim has been to record the humanity and the truth of the Palestinian situation. Very soon, we will be presenting the fruits of their labour.
We start by introducing you to our talented crew of filmmakers, the next generation of revolutionary artists in Palestine. To learn about The Freedom Films, watch this video.
Suzan Wasfi
Suzan Wasfi is a 22-year-old filmmaker from Jenin Refugee Camp. Her film project is a 20-minute documentary, a semi-autobiographical film which follows the trials of the only female horse trainer in Jenin, drawing parallels with Suzan’s own situation as a female director working in a society where gender roles are sharply defined.
“This woman is courageous, brave enough to ride a horse. This is not a normal situation in our society in terms of customs and traditions. Society has to know that this is her right and that she is free to do what she wants”, says Suzan.
This film project is Suzan’s fourth film and her first documentary. Her work puts Palestinian society under the microscope, and often examines the role of women in society. Her first drama short film, “We are growing”, explores how the freedoms of Palestinian girls shrink as they grow up. Her second short film, “Lost”, explores drug abuse among young men, while “Elevator” is an accelerated love story in a very small space.
“In our society, there are many subjects we can’t discuss – and even if we could we wouldn’t be able to change the way people think. I want to make change and I want people to hear me”.
Ameen Nayfeh
Born in Palestine in 1988, Ameen finished elementary school in Jordan and then moved back with his family to Palestine. Changing residences more than five times and moving between eight schools across Jordan and Palestine played a major role in shaping his personality, in addition to the years of Intifada he witnessed.
Ameen’s first attempt with film was in high school, where he made a short film about his town using his friend’s video camera. He always wanted to study filmmaking; but after his endless arguments with his parents he ended up studying Nursing in AL-Quds University in East Jerusalem. His idea was to get the nursing degree and then to chase his dream abroad.
Although nursing sounds far and irrelevant from filmmaking; he managed to gain experience in this humanitarian field, which also nourished his personality as a caretaker and an observer. Ameen also enrolled in theatre and graduated with a B.S in Nursing in 2010. He managed to pursue his dream as he graduated from the Red Sea Institute of Cinematic Arts based in Aqaba, Jordan in 2012. In his second year he was the only student to write a short fiction, produce two fictions and to direct a 25 min documentary.
After graduation he has been between Palestine, Jordan, Germany and Bahrain freelancing, pitching and developing his projects.
Ameen is now working on his first feature fiction film “200 Meters”. He is also in the pre-production of his first feature documentary “The Common Ground” for which he won jury prize for his pitch in Ramallah Doc 2013, and was a finalist in the Robert Bosch German-Arab Co-production fund.
Ameen’s latest project is the film Arranged with The Freedom Films. His ambition is to become an influential filmmaker in his region.
Mustafa Staiti
“The freedom films has offered me the opportunity for a first attempt at making an official movie because all my time in working and learning I was doing mainly documentaries. Today I’m creating the whole fiction story and that will be my first experience”, says Mustafa.
Mustafa was born in 1986 in Tulkarem and spent his early childhood in Jenin Refugee Camp with his parents, four sisters and a brother. When he was four his family moved out of the camp to Jenin City. While Mustafa’s father spent 12 years in Israeli person his mother met and became good friends with Arna Mer Khamis, a Jewish-Israeli woman who was struggling for equal peace between Palestine and Israel. When Arna’s son, Juliano, returned to Jenin in 2006 to found The Freedom Theatre, Mustafa decided to become involved in the theatre’s activities. He has spent the last seven years at The Freedom Theatre as a filmmaking student and photography trainer. Mustafa has also had the opportunity to study in Bulgaria and Sweden participating in programs that empower youth artists around the world.
“I’ve become a filmmaker through The Freedom Theatre… I chose filmmaking first to represent all of the feelings I have living here, and it’s a tool to say my message to the world. The passion of communicating with people inside and outside is what makes me do films.”
Mohammed Moawia
Mohammed began his career in film in 2007 in The Freedom Theatre, mainly as a hobby. His passion for film grew as he began honing his technique and teaching small groups of student’s filmmaking and photography. When asked what drew him to teaching film he said: “The girls I teach them cinema to challenge themselves to become filmmakers, to challenge their communities, everything around them to take this chance to become artists.”
When asked why he choose to produce The Racer and Journey, Mohammed replied: “Because everybody has a dream to overcome obstacles, so when you see someone that faces the same obstacles and overcomes them you support him because you dream to be like him, to have that same opportunity. I learned that not everything you showcase in a film is based in truth/reality, it’s what you want the people and media to get that comes across…. Film opens your eyes to things you would otherwise not have access to.”