Oscar-nominated director talks Palestine at IFFI
3 Dec 2012 1:14 AM GMT
‘I am here to bring the story of the Palestinian refugees and their suffering as realistically as possible through my film which was nominated for the Oscars this year,’ said Annemarie Jacir, director of the Arabic film When I saw You. To a question from the Millennium Post correspondent about why she made the film’s ending abrupt, she replied: ‘I left it open intentionally as it doesn’t matter what happens next. It’s a journey of the mother and son…The decision is taken,’ she said.
To another question, she said: ‘Palestinians are refugees — rich or poor — and did not choose to stay in Jordan or Lebanon or Denmark or wherever. There are six million Palestinian refugees in the world with the main problem being that they are not allowed to return to their homeland Palestine and among them is Edward Saeed, who is one of the most intellectual well-known names among the Palestine refugees.’
An undergraduate of film school and cinema from New York, Jacir says she looks to make films as best as she can because the audiences simply surprise filmmakers with their reactions. Jacir spoke about her maternal background where her mother — who is originally from Bethlehem. Jacir grew up in Saudi Arabia where she lived till the age of 16 before moving to the US and then shuttling between America and Palestine.
‘Cinema is an art form that I like combining with photography and acting besides collaborating with a group of people,’ she says.
To another question, she said: ‘Palestinians are refugees — rich or poor — and did not choose to stay in Jordan or Lebanon or Denmark or wherever. There are six million Palestinian refugees in the world with the main problem being that they are not allowed to return to their homeland Palestine and among them is Edward Saeed, who is one of the most intellectual well-known names among the Palestine refugees.’
An undergraduate of film school and cinema from New York, Jacir says she looks to make films as best as she can because the audiences simply surprise filmmakers with their reactions. Jacir spoke about her maternal background where her mother — who is originally from Bethlehem. Jacir grew up in Saudi Arabia where she lived till the age of 16 before moving to the US and then shuttling between America and Palestine.
‘Cinema is an art form that I like combining with photography and acting besides collaborating with a group of people,’ she says.
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