In 2005, Ismael’s 11 year old son Ahmed was shot down by the Israeli army. Despite his grief, Ismael decides to donate his son’s organs to Israeli children thus saving their lives. One and a half years after his decision, Ismael travels through Israel to meet the children he has helped and their families. It is a journey through a territory marked by prejudice.
A year later, still deeply affected by his son’s death, Ismael opens a cultural center for the children of the camp as an alternative for their street life. Thanks to foreign donations, the center starts providing many activities among which film courses are given. After a while, the children want to produce their first short film, only to realize that they have no place to show it in. The only cinema in town was closed more than twenty years ago. The decision emerges to reopen the cinema. Marcus Vetter, the director of "Heart of Jenin" and Fakhri Hamad and Ismael Khatib decide together to launch the "Project Cinema Jenin" and open the cinema again.
The resurrection of Cinema Jenin has enormous dramatic potential and its story will be told in the form of a documentary which follows a parallel process where the children of the camp make a film about their lives. At the same time they are taking part in reopening what would become their future stage.
More about the project.
