Yousef al-Deek is reviving the lost tradition of cinema in Palestine rendered obsolete after years of occupation and economic deterioration. These adverse conditions have left Palestinians isolated from one other and estranged from the outside world with few resources available to communicate new ideas and human experiences from other cultures.
Yousef founded the Palestinian Social Cinema Arts Association (PSCAA) in 2007 to bring films to the poorest segments of Palestinian society. His hope was that cinema could encourage social cohesion and revive a lost cultural identity among many segments of young people who have never experienced cinema in their lifetimes.
By way of LCD projector and mobile screen, Yousef and his band of volunteers screen films that represent the complexity of life, not only in Palestine but also in other countries, and often touch upon taboo topics as a way to provoke introspection and social dialogue. To date, the PSCAA has screened films in over one hundred villages in the West Bank, reaching over twenty-five thousand Palestinians and hopes to offer this cultural opportunity to a larger audience in Palestine and neighboring countries.
At present, Yousef is working with the Ministry of Youth to establish ten new youth cinema clubs in various Palestinian villages, which will screen one film each week followed by a public debate about the social issues presented. These debates will help to present new ideas about issues such as the rights of youth and women, offering the audience new perspectives and ways of thinking on the subject. The PSCAA also trains young people in the fundamentals and art of filmmaking through workshops and summer camps to inspire them and hone their skills. In 2010, the PSCAA seeks to screen fifty to seventy films throughout the West Bank and to organize the first social cinema film festival in Palestine focused on youth films.
Yousef’s initiative has received international attention and has been featured on CNN and Al-Jazeera. He has directed a film entitled Kafa about social relations within Palestinian society, which won the 2009 Golden Prize at the Arab Broadcasters Film Festival and the 2008 Silver Award at the Cairo Arab Film Festival.
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Watch “The Palestinian Projectionist,”? an interview with Yousef on CNN.
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Read an article about Yousef and PSCAA in Asharq Alawsat (in English).
To Contact Yousef:
alfeneeks@gmail.com
Tel: 0097022951023