West Bank cinema reopens in former terrorist hub
| Jenin, West Bank
鈥� A local, slice-of-life story from a Monitor correspondent.
Children crowded the ticket window as President Salam Fayyad climbed stairs covered in red carpet and scouts rapped out a snare-drum beat to inaugurate Cinema Jenin, reopened last month after more than 20 years in this northern West Bank city.
The renovation is the brainchild of German filmmaker Marcus Vetter and Jenin resident Ismael Khatib, whose son Ahmed, 12, was killed by Israeli soldiers in 2005. Mr. Vetter documented Mr. Khatib鈥檚 decision to donate Ahmed鈥檚 organs to six Israelis in the film 鈥淗eart of Jenin,鈥� then renovated a cinema to provide a local venue to show it.
鈥淐inema Jenin is a safe place for Ahmed鈥檚 friends to learn and have fun,鈥� Khatib said.
German and Palestinian volunteers spent two years painting the walls purple, reupholstering the 355 old chairs, and landscaping outside the 700-seat theater. The cinema鈥檚 three-day opening film festival, attended by the director of Tel Aviv鈥檚 Cinematheque, marks Jenin鈥檚 transformation from a notorious terrorism hometown to a city of cultural institutions including music and acting schools.
鈥淭he cinema tries to help build a Palestinian state through making films, providing jobs, and giving hope,鈥� Vetter said.
Rasha Alhamad, a dentist, waited to see 鈥淗eart of Jenin.鈥�
鈥淚t鈥檚 something great,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e can show our culture to the world.鈥�
