March 19: The Kingdom of Women – Ein El Hilweh

The Kingdom of Women ~ Ein El Hilweh ~ مملكة النساء عين الحلوة

by Dahna Abourahme Documentary|2010 |54 min Lebanon

Alwan for the Arts, 16 Beaver Street, 4th Floor, New York, NY

RSVP: https://www.facebook.com/events/261293500611825/

Starring: Khadije Abd El Al, Abla Hassan, Subhiyeh Mowed (Um Mohammad), Amal Shabai, Raja’a Shabayta (Um Amer), Halimeh Shana’a, Nadia Zaatari

Come to the screening of this important documentary preceded by a discussion with Nada Khader, Executive Director of the WESPAC Foundation, a peace and justice action and educational network. Refreshments will be served.

After the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1982, Ein al-Hilweh (the largest Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon) was destroyed, and its men imprisoned. The Kingdom of Women documents the resilience, community spirit, and valor of the women from the camp during this period — how they rebuilt the camp and protected and provided for their families while their men were held captive.Weaving between past and present, animation and daily life, Abourahme honors women’s contribution to the survival of the Palestinian community in exile

The interviews in this documentary demonstrate how women challenged social and religious traditional roles in order to rebuild their community. This period is seen by the women as a turning point in their personal development. Women physically rebuilt the camp in the course of two years time and kept their community functioning. The seven women and their families that the documentary focuses on is based on representing the different facets of the 1982-84 experience so that collectively they show a vision of the whole. Animation is used to visually recreate the image and spirit of the past. It is a way to play with imagination and reality: to reflect on the roles the women took on at that time and its present day implications.