A new documentary on the Palestinian refugee experience since 1948 is showing in Livonia next week.  It is being celebrated as the first of its kind, a must-see for those interested in the Palestinian experience.  The Arab American News had a chance to talk with Adam Shapiro, one of its creators. 

“Chronicles of the Refugee” is a six-part documentary film that begins with al-Nakba in 1948.  The first three episodes are historical and informative, presenting an almost comprehensive review of 60 years of dispossession.  The last three parts tackle many issues facing Palestinian refugees today, and are meant to open up debate on taboo and contentious issues.

It is an independently produced film in Arabic and English with English subtitles.  It was produced by Shapiro, Perla Issa and Assel Mansour.

Adam Shapiro is co-founder of the International Solidarity Movement, and has previously made documentaries “About Baghdad” in 2005″; “Darfur Diaries” in 2006;  and “Becoming Nadya” and “Nowhere to Flee” in 2007.

TAAN: Why did you make “Chronicles of the Refugee”?

AS: Almost two years ago, after the end of the summer war in Lebanon, I learned from a journalist about the Palestinian refugees from Iraq who were stuck at the borders of Iraq and Jordan and Iraq and Syria — unable to enter those countries, unable and unwilling to go back to Iraq (for good reasons) and basically stuck simply because they were Palestinian.  This journalist, who had written about the situation of Palestinians in Baghdad, knew about my work on the Palestinian cause and asked if I had any ideas to help. 

Shortly thereafter, I spoke to the refugees in the camps on the border and asked what they wanted, where they wanted to go.  Not that there was much of a choice…all the Arab countries had refused to accept them, and returning to Palestine was not an option.  So, they asked for anywhere that would take them and give them rights.  That started a process for me and my colleague Perla Issa (who is a co-director of this film also), to try to find countries for these refugees.  We are still working independently to try to help.

In the course of doing this work, and in getting Chile and Brazil to accept a total of 250 refugees between them, we met many who were opposed to the idea of these Palestinians leaving the camps, leaving the Arab world, and/or taking citizenship elsewhere.

We also made efforts to engage with the PLO and to get it, and other institutions, to help these refugees.  Combine these frustrations with the subsequent events that occurred in 2007, some of which I was a direct witness to, such as the Fatah-Hamas fighting, the destruction of Nahr Al-Bared and also the ongoing persecution of Sami Al-Arian in the U.S., and we realized that there are broader commonalities among the Palestinian refugee experiences of people scattered around the world.  But too often these commonalities are not realized, appreciated or considered.  And most importantly, for us, Palestinians are too often marginalized from even helping themselves.

We decided to make this film series primarily for a Palestinian audience, and secondarily for an Arab and solidarity audience.  This is not designed to educate Westerners about the plight of Palestinians, though it certainly does some of that.  Rather, the series is meant to be used as a tool for opening up debate and dialogue within the Palestinian community with the aim of generating discussions leading to strategies.

TAAN: Many of the stories in the film are quite moving and clearly painful. How did the refugees you spoke to feel about being interviewed?

AS: There is, of course, a general tiredness among Palestinian refugees about recounting stories for film and otherwise, because there is a general sentiment that the telling of these stories, the making of these films, doesn’t change anything.  We are quite sensitive to that.  And certainly explaining that the purpose of this film is to engage the internal Palestinian community made the interaction quite a bit different. 

I should say also, that since we came from the experience of working with the Palestinian refugees from Iraq and the displaced refugees from Nahr Al-Bared (we have also made two short films about each of those groups), this gave us a different encounter with people who have lived through real tragedies.  And, of course, my own personal story of living in Palestine and experiencing being expelled is something that allows me to relate in a different way to Palestinian refugees, and also means something to them about their engagement with me.

TAAN: What were the biggest challenges facing you with this project? How did you overcome them?

AS: The biggest challenge was trying to get all over the world to interview Palestinian refugees wherever they are.  We traveled to 16 countries, interviewed hundreds of people who have lived in over 25 countries, and have done all that and edited the film series in less than 10 months.  Until now, however, we have not been able to enter Gaza to film there, and that is an outstanding failure, one which we hope to be able to rectify as soon as we can.  Perla and I have spent full time since September 2007 on this film, while somehow still working to try to find homes for the Palestinian refugees from Iraq, while a third colleague, Aseel Mansour, joined us in December to edit and produce the film with us.

TAAN: Ideally, what do you hope audiences take away?

AS: For Palestinian audiences, we hope that this film sparks debate, discussion, dialogue and ultimately the development of new strategies for the achievement of Palestinian rights.  I believe that part of that necessarily means privileging the Palestinian as an individual and allowing for the cause and the achievement of rights and justice to flow from a strengthened individual as part of the national collective. 

For Arab audiences, I hope there will be a greater appreciation for how average people have experienced the consequences of the actions of the few, which are too often used to justify the treatment of the larger group. 

And for those who are in solidarity with the Palestinian people in their cause, specifically for the right of return, I hope this film will serve to make the people more real and more multi-dimensional.  Too often I find those who are engaged in this cause talk of refugees or of camps without much appreciation for what it really means to live as a refugee or in a camp.

TAAN: What stands out as the most memorable moment for you in the production of “Chronicles”?

AS: Definitely one of the most amazing things that I experienced in making this film was the interview we did with Yusra in Yarmouk Camp.  One of our friends in the camp knew about this woman who was really old, but who remembered everything.  So we found her…and she is 106 years old!  She survived the massacre at Tantoura, which she experienced when she was almost 40 years old.  Her mind is sharp, and she was really excited to talk to us.  Sitting and listening to her life story, of the history she had witnessed, was truly a privilege for me.  Having all of these people open up and share has been a privilege, and I certainly feel a responsibility to them in making this film and in my activism. 

My only down moment was when I tried to cross the border to get into Palestine, where I was once again denied entry.  It was not unexpected, but still, it was confirmation that I was going to make this film and not be able to enter Palestine to film there.  Perla was able to and did the filming, and I watched all the footage.  Again, it served to reaffirm in at least a superficial way, my own personal connection to those in the camps in Lebanon, Syria and Jordan, and to refugees all over the world who cannot enter Palestine.