video: "fire in balata camp"

2007-06-27

on tuesday night (june 26th) israeli military vehicles stormed balata refugee camp near nablus, opened random fire and terrorized hundreds of residents who were out in the streets seeking relief after another scorching hot day in the west bank. terrified refugees fled to their houses for safety but israeli military vehicles sealed off streets and neighborhoods. some shops and offices were left open as their owners ran out in panic after the sudden invasion. blasting orders over loudspeakers, the army forced residents out their homes and made them take off their clothes. the troops fired randomly at buildings in the area and set a local restaurant on fire. no casualties were reported. the operation ended in the early hours of Wednesday morning lasting over seven hours. here´s a short clip produced by the research journalism initiative covering the invasion.

video: "balata camp incursion"

2007-05-25

[de]
on may 24, the israeli occupation forces stormed balata refugee camp in nablus (palestine).

here's a short clip from this military operation produced by the research journalism initiative.



this short video can be downloaded in better quality here and here.

video: "kids used as human shields"

2007-04-11

[de]
in a military operation taking place in balata refugee camp (nablus, occupied palestine), israeli occupation troops forced two youngsters to serve as human shields.

a filmmaker from the research journalism initiative, who is close to a-films, caught the scene and other shots of the military operation and home demolition on tape.



click here and here to download the clip in full quality.

video: "nightlife in balata camp"

2007-03-18

for four consecutive nights, the israeli occupation forces have invaded balata refugee camp on the outskirts of nablus (palestine). they drove up and down the camp, threw percussion grenades and fired randomly at residents' homes.
this is not a new habit of the israely army, but something they've kept doing for many years already. it's important to note that this is not an exception, but normality in balata refugee camp.
this short clip was made by close friends of a-films, the research journalism initiative.



click here to download the clip in full quality.

video: "operation hot winter"

2007-02-25

[de] [fr]
on february 25 2007, the israeli occupation forces invaded the west bank city of nablus with massive forces. the army focussed their operation especially on the yasmine and qariyon neighborhoods in the old city. during the four days that the assault lasted, tens of thousands of people were confined to their homes. the israeli military raided dozens of houses, detaining and arresting scores of people. it abused journalists and aid workers and even used palestinian civilians as "human shields". the occupation forces killed one person and injured dozens. this military operation was one of the biggest of its kind in the last two or three years that happened in nablus.
during the operation, activists from the research journalism initiative and from a-films kept producing short video reports on what happened on the ground. here you can watch our clips from day 1, day 2 and day 4 of the operation as well as an interview with a girl that was used as a human shield and the injured son of a shahid.

day 1


day 2


day 4


interview 1


interview 2


click here to download full quality versions of day 1, day 2, day 4, interview 1 and interview 2.

video: "the alley"

2007-02-11

[de] [es] [it] [fr]
this film was made in balata refugee camp near nablus, palestine. it's supposed to provide the viewers with some impressions of the current economic situation people are suffering from.

the clip is the result of a collaboration of activists from the research journalism initiative and from a-films.

part 1


part 2


The film can here and here be downloaded in full length and better quality.

video: "ma´jeen operation"

2007-01-25

[de]
on 25th of january 2007, the israeli occupation forces once more stormed nablus in an effort to arrest wanted residents. here's some footage of this assault.

video: "qisariyye operation"

2007-01-18

[de]
on 18th of january 2007, the israeli occupation forces entered nablus with dozens of jeeps, surrounding a building in al-qisariyye area at the edge of the old city. one resistance fighter got shot dead in the operation, a 15-year old was shot in the eye.

balata film collective

2007-05-30

in 2004 and 2005, a group of activists (among them a-films people) in balata refugee camp in nablus (palestine) formed a video collective to enable young palestinians from balata to break their isolation, challenge their oppression and and represent their lives to the world. workshops in independent media were held and about a dozen short clips were produced. so far some of these videos are available on the film group´s youtube account:

shadows of occupation
camp children prepare a shadow puppet theatre production as part of balatacamp.net activities. during the performance, the characters of their imagination move from the screen onto the streets of balata. here´s the short clip:



elections under occupation
palestinians from balata camp speak out about the elections for the palestinian authority on january 9th, 2005. the short clip includes interviews with representatives of various organisations, as well as people on the streets.
click here to watch the video.

election furore in balata camp
the balatacamp.net girl journalists hit the streets during voting to see what camp residents really think.
watch the clip here.

akoub - the challenge
the vegetable akoub plays an important role in both palestinian identity and cooking. this short clip describes how israeli checkpoints, settlements and military bases are making it an increasingly difficult and dangerous ingredient to gather. market vendors, vegetable dealers and palestinian grandmothers explain how even a simple vegetable has been forced to join the ranks of the resistance.
the akoub-film can be watched here.

palestinian embroidery under occupation
palestinian embroidery is a hidden form of resistance to israeli attempts at economic, social and political subjugation. women's embroidery is one of few means of economic independence, neither dependent on israeli contractors or its market. embroidery is also a powerful means of expressing identity and making a connection with the palestinian past prior to expulsion.
watch the short video here.

women in death castles
a high proportion of palestinian women prisoners in israeli occupation prisons are from the nablus region. in this film, recently released women from balata and nablus speak out about their pain and struggle while imprisoned. testimonies describe interrogation, physical and mental torture, loneliness. the video inccludes interviews with ex-prisoners, children of current prisoners and officials from the prisoners society.
click here to watch this film.

grass doesn´t grow in the camp
after 20 years in israeli prison, balata resident meqdad khatib is released. his newly-wed wife pregnant when he was arrested, meqdad had never seen his son mahmoud until he was also imprisoned. finally the family is to be reunited. however, mahmoud was killed by the israeli army in 2006.
the balatacamp.net girl journalist team go along to the checkpoint and meqdad's house to check things out. along the way they come across israeli jeeps, praise-singing grandmothers and fields of green grass.
this joyful video can be watched here.

memories of the nakbe
rarely seen archival photographs alongside palestinian survivors remembering the 1948 'nakbe' (catastrophe), describing the expulsion from their land on which the suburbs of tel aviv have since been built and their subsequent struggles as refugees. memories include the terror immediately prior to fleeing, the slow realisation that they would not be returning home soon, the struggle to rebuild their lives in cramped refugee camps, and the increased resistance that grew once the Israeli military pursued them to the refugee camps.
click here to watch this clip.

birds of revolution besieged in balata camp
the schoolchildren of balata camp face up to israeli military force. as jeeps attempt to invade and enforce curfew, the children make clear that they won't submit.
here is the short film.

children of the stones
the children of palestine lead a childhood of oppression, struggle and isolation. faced with daily israeli military invasions, the short moments of relative quiet and safety take on unexpected importance and beauty. children of the stones opens up a snapshot of the daily lives of palestinian children.
this short video can be watched here.

for more information and videos from the balata film collective as well as for other ressources from the balata camp community projects, check out its webpage.

أفلام من فلسطين

[en] [de] [es] [it] [fr]

• "the alley" (feb 2007)
• "operation hot winter" (feb/mar 2007)
• "fire in balata camp" (jun 2007)
• "balata camp incursion" (may 2007)
• "kids used as human shields" (apr 2007)
• "nightlife in balata camp" (mar 2007)
• "ma´jeen operation" (jan 2007)
• "qisariyye operation" (jan 2007)
• videos from the balata film collective (2004/2005)