Depuis Que Je Suis Né – Bande Annonce from Backpack Productions on Vimeo.
Showing @ CCA, Glasgow, Sat 11 Oct only @ 15.20
Laura Delle Piane / France / 2013 / 54 mins
There’s been much documented about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and Laura Delle Piane doesn’t bother too much with going over the well-known atrocities Instead she presents a tender child’s-eye-view of a war that’s forced hundreds of children to grow up as refugees. Eleven-year-old Tamer lives in Dheisheh, a refugee camp in the West Bank, with his family. His father, Nader, does what he can to make their life feel normal, but the concrete wall separating them from the rest of world is a daily reminder of their situation.
In many ways, Tamer and his friends are unlike other children. While you might expect most kids to exaggerate details of stories, their harrowing tales have an uncomfortable ring of truth. These are children who have grown up without a childhood and they show a remarkable maturity: one makes the point that if they had grown up in Israel, they would probably be settlers. However, despite his bravado, Tamer’s age shows when Nader describes to him how his own father was gunned down; Tamer’s uncontrollable tears at this single event give perspective to the conflict as a whole.
Despite legitimate grievances (no water for three days), there’s a strong sense of avoiding violence; Nader discourages the taking up of arms with his offspring. Perhaps the film’s most affecting moment is Nader’s observations that the repressed environment his children are growing up in is likely to breed more violence. Rather than focussing on military aspects, Piane’s film is a poignant exploration of the dreams and aspirations of the children of war.
Showing as part of the Document International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival 2014