Muhammad Mohsen Watad – Jisr az-Zarqa
The coastal village of Jisr az-Zarqa—one of the Palestinian villages within the 1948 territories—has recently been transformed, through its streets, alleys, and beaches, into a miniature version of the besieged Gaza Strip.
The village was chosen as a filming location for a feature film titled A Bottle in the Gaza Sea, due to the similarities between its reality and that of Gaza. The film is being produced by the French production company TC Production in cooperation with the Israeli company Lama Hafakot.
In addition, the suffering of the besieged Gaza Strip found another connection with Jisr az-Zarqa through a second film, titled Home Land, which portrays life in Gaza through the story of a British girl who has been living in the Strip since 2005.
The Story of the Bottle
The first film, as described to Al Jazeera by one of its actors, Selim Dau, revolves around the life of a young Palestinian man from Gaza who desperately tries to leave the Strip and travel to France to study. However, his efforts to obtain a travel permit fail after the Israeli authorities refuse his request.
The story becomes more compelling when the young man finds a bottle floating in the waters of the Gaza Sea. Inside it, he discovers the name and email address of an Israeli girl whose brother had thrown the bottle into the sea at her request, as she wanted to learn more about the Palestinian people. This is where the film gets its title, A Bottle in the Gaza Sea.
Dau continued: “By chance, the bottle washes up on the shore of Gaza, where the Palestinian young man finds it and begins communicating with its owner online. During their conversations, he discovers that she is a Jewish girl from Jerusalem.”
Their relationship develops as they share stories about their lives and living conditions. Eventually, they agree to meet at one of the checkpoints after the young Palestinian man succeeds in obtaining permission to leave Gaza and travel.
However, despite both arriving at the checkpoint on the same day and at the same time, they do not meet. The film ends with a fleeting glance between the young man and the Israeli girl with whom he had communicated online for a long time.
French Participation
The film features Arab and French actors. Among those playing the main roles are Mahmoud Shalabi from Acre, who plays the lead character, actor Selim Dau, and actress Hiam Abbass, alongside French actress Agathe Bonitzer, who portrays the female lead.
The film is directed by French filmmaker Thierry Binisti. It runs for 90 minutes and was expected to be released in cinemas in 2011.
Western and Israeli filmmakers chose to shoot in Jisr az-Zarqa because, on the one hand, it resembles parts of the Gaza Strip, and, on the other, they are prevented from entering the besieged Strip.
Simulating a Military Raid
Among the scenes being filmed are sequences depicting an Israeli military invasion of areas in the Gaza Strip, including raids on homes and narrow streets in Palestinian villages.
The scenes included simulated Israeli military incursions into Gaza.
Sami Alali, head of the Popular Committee in Jisr az-Zarqa, said:
“At first, when we woke up to the sound of bombs, tanks, and gunfire, we thought the Israeli army had occupied the village, and we were prepared to resist.”
Alali pointed out that the village had become the “Hollywood of Palestine,” giving it a special place in the film and cinema industry and helping to draw support for it in various fields.
He told Al Jazeera that these productions “shine a spotlight on the village and create a sense of challenge and pride among its residents, while strengthening their determination to struggle to improve the village and change the harsh and tragic reality in various aspects of life.”
Source: Al Jazeera
