[de][fr] on 29 december 2008, the squatters of the "prediger" church in zurich, switzerland, invited the media to a press conference. several delegates of the sans-papiers talked about their precarious situation in the canton zurich and explained their political demands. the 9-minute film contains selections of the press conference. it can be downloaded here (.mpeg/302mb) and here (.mov/111mb). also, it can be watched here on youtube or below.
[de][es][fr] on 3 january 2009, around 2000 people protested along with the squatters of the church against the asylum policy of switzerland ans specifically of the canton zurich. the short film provides some impressions from the march.
[de][fr] before saturday's demonstration and the upcoming resettlement to the church st. jakob on sunday, the squatters of the "prediger" church in zurich are still committed to their struggle. meanwhile, pressure from the media and the church increases and calls for the refugees to leave get louder. in the short film, three migrants from guinea-bissau, iran and iraq and an activist of the local support committee talk about the current situation and problems and offer an insight to their mechanisms of collective organization.
[de][fr] 13 days after squatting the "prediger" church in zurich, switzerland, spirits are high and the sans-papiers and activists are still determined to continue their struggle for a right to stay and a dignified, self-controlled life for all. the squatters insist on their demands. they are not willing to leave the church as long as there are no concrete measures taken up by the authorities to solve their problems. in the short film, two migrants, an activist of the support committee and a solidary priest talk about squatting the church and the political demands of the squatters.
[de][it][fr] on friday, 19 december 2008, around 150 sans-papiers and solidarity activists squatted the "prediger" church in zurich, switzerland. they are fighting for a right to stay for all and a life in independence and dignity. the squatters demand from the canton zurich documents for everyone, the abolition of the prohibition of work and the implementation of the hardship provision. in the short film, three migrants speak about their action, problems and hopes.
[عر][de][es][it][fr] more than a year after their homes were destroyed during the battle between the lebanese army and the militant islamist group fatah al-islam, the majority of the refugees from nahr al-bared in north lebanon find themselves in a difficult situation. not able to return to their homes, stuck in pre-fabricated housing units and often unemployed, many of them feel frustrated and hopeless, only sometimes seeing a glimmer of hope. being subjected to aid organizations and external political decisions, many refugees have started to critizice the humanitarization of their political problem and voice opposition to the politics of humanitarian aid. this short film, produced in october 2008, documents the experiences and thoughts of several young residents of nahr al-bared camp, as they talk about current developments in the camp and about their personal situation. the film can be downloaded here (.mpeg/594mb) and here (.mov/226mb) in good quality. it can be watched here (part 1/2) on youtube or below.
[de] one year has passed since the first palestinians were allowed to return to the outskirts of the nahr al-bared refugee camp, destroyed by the lebanese army during three months of fighting in the summer of 2007 with fatah al-islam, a small islamist militant group. meanwhile, up to 15,000 people have resettled in the camp. many of them are still waiting to freely access their destroyed homes, as the lebanese army still exclusively controls the "old camp" in the core of nahr al-bared, as well as parts of the "new camp" on the outskirts. (...) [read more]
[عر][de][es][it][fr] one year has passed since the first palestinians were allowed to return to the outskirts of the destroyed nahr al-bared refugee camp, to the so-called "new camp". meanwhile, up to 15.000 people have resettled there, many of them waiting to access their destroyed homes in the "old camp", the core of what used to be nahr al-bared camp. the lebanese army still exclusively controls the old camp as well as parts of the new camp. nahr al-bared camp used to be an economic center in the north of trablous. although the first shops and companies have reopened in nahr al-bared, they struggle with difficult economic conditions such as the siege of the camp. this 16-minute film was produced in a small workshop in the camp. it deals with the current developments in nahr al-bared, focusing on economic aspects and on reconstruction. the film can be downloaded here (.mpeg/537mb) and here (.mov/246mb) in good quality. it can be watched here (part 1/2) on youtube or below.
[de][it] the sun has yet to rise at an orange plantation in the hinterland of the southern lebanese city of tyre. muhammad has just transferred ten buckets of oranges into black plastic boxes at the edge of the orange grove. after carrying the empty buckets back to the other workers, he says: "after this work i return home, rest for an hour and leave for my second job as a decorator. harvesting oranges alone doesn't feed my family." (...) [read more]
[عر][de][es][it][fr][tr] early in the morning, between 5 and 6am, a wave of footsteps and whispering voices can be heard in the narrow alleys of bourj ash-shamali refugee camp in south lebanon. it is in the darkness of the early morning hours that hundreds of palestinian day laborers leave their homes, gather in the streets and then head to their work in the fields and plantations of the region. more than two-thirds of the camp's labor force work at least part-time in agriculture. lebanese law treats the more than 400,000 palestinian refugees in the country as foreigners. therefore they are not allowed to own land, they are forbidden to work in dozens of jobs, they aren't guaranteed a minimum wage and they aren't integrated into the lebanese social and medical insurance system. these various forms of exclusion make them vulnerable and exploitable in many ways. this 17-minute film is the result of a video workshop in bourj ash-shamali camp. it deals with various aspects of the work and life of palestinian day laborers in the plantations of south lebanon. the film can be downloaded here (.mpeg/559mb) and here (.mov/231mb) in good quality. also, it can be watched here (part 1/2) on youtube or below.
[de][it][fr] the first few hundred palestinian families were allowed to return to their destroyed or damaged homes at the outskirts of nahr al-bared camp in winter 2007/08. they faced a very difficult situation. many of them lost their homes and most of their property was either destroyed or stolen. this short video documents the refugee's experiences once they returned to their camp and their efforts to deal with their new reality. for security reasons, only an anonymized version of the film is published. it can be downloaded here (.mpeg/247mb) and here (.mov/109mb) in good quality. also, it can be watched here on youtube or below.
[de][es][it][fr] this short film documents many racist, sexist, humiliating and insulting graffiti that lebanese soldiers had written on the walls of the houses in the destroyed palestinian refugee camp of nahr al-bared. while many graffiti are directed against the non-palestinian islamist militant group fatah al-islam and its leader shaker al-abssi, others address the palestinian refugees. in some cases, the destruction of the camp is portrayed as a revenge for massacres committed by palestinian militias in the lebanese civil war. the graffiti can be understood as instruments of psychological warfare and as an additional method regarding the political strategy of the lebanese army to demoralize the refugees and keep them from returning to their destroyed camp. however, the graffiti also illustrate the frustrations and personal attitudes of the soldiers during the fighting. almost 200 soldiers were killed in the 3-month battle. as a reaction to related reports in the lebanese media, the army has covered many sprayings and drawings with paint. this 7-minute film was produced in winter 2007/08. also in the houses that the military has handed back to their owners in spring 2008, such graffiti can be found.
for security reasons, only an anonymized version of the film is published. it can be downloaded here (.mpeg/235mb) and here (.mov/86mb) in good quality. also, it can be watched here on youtube or below.
one year ago, on 20 May 2007, the fighting began between the lebanese army and the militant group fatah al-islam in nahr al-bared refugee camp in northern lebanon. during more than three months of fighting between the army and the extremist group, more than 47 Palestinian civilians, 178 soldiers and at least 220 militants were killed. more than half a year after the battle came to an end, only a fraction of its residents have been allowed to return. (...) [read more]
[de][es][it][fr][tr] on march 31st 2008, the lebanese army made 20 houses in majles street in the destroyed palestinian refugee camp of nahr al-bared accessible. all 20 buildings had signs of burning. often, entire rooms or even floors were completely burnt. at least in 16 houses, traces of flammable liquids could be found on the walls. from the official end date of the fighting in early september 2007 until march 30th 2008, all of majles street was under the exclusive control of the lebanese army. the amount of looting, arson and intentional destruction in majles street and in nahr al-bared camp in general point to a systematic collective dispossession of the camp's residents by the lebanese army. the lebanese army has so far strongly forbidden any filming or photographing in nahr al-bared. the army, its secret service and local collaborators make sure that nobody breaks this unwritten law.
the 10-minute film documents the mentioned accusations in detail. it can be downloaded here (.mpeg/329mb) and here (.mov/125mb) in good quality. also, it can be watched here on youtube or below.
[de][es] on march 31st 2008, the lebanese army allowed access to a few dozen houses in sahabe and majles street in the destroyed palestinian refugee camp of nahr al-bared. in almost all houses, clear evidence for arson can be found. (...) [read more]
[de][es][it] a 5 april 2008 television report by al jazeera english from the destroyed palestinian nahr al-bared refugee camp in northern lebanon characterizes the media's sidelining of the nahr al-bared story as a purely humanitarian question rather than one with a political dimension. since the battle between the lebanese army and the militant islamist group moved from the streets of tripoli to nahr al-bared camp about this time last year, the media have mainly only reported on the military strife between the army and the islamist group. on the rare occasions the media have covered the situation of the camp's more than 30,000 Palestinian inhabitants who fled the camp during the fighting, they have done so with only a narrow focus on the humanitarian problems they face - ignoring the glaring political questions that only the camp residents seem to be left asking. (...) [read more]
[de][es][it] the 3-month battle of nahr al-bared (north lebanon) in 2007 left tens of thousands of palestinian refugees homeless - once again. in winter, a few thousands of them where allowed to return to their destroyed refugee camp, where they've started to rebuild their homes. this short video conveys impressions from inside nahr al-bared camp. it can be downloaded in good quality here (.mpeg/186mb) or here (.mov/48mb). it can be watched here on youtube or below:
[de][es][it][fr] [tr] a-films is an autonomous anarchist media collective. its activists do video workshops in the middle east & europe and publish articles, short films and audio reports.
friends across the globe help us with the translations of our films and our blog. we are extremely grateful for their support. however, additional translators are welcome. please contact us if you feel like contributing.
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