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Palestinian filmmaker and actor Bakri visited the Jenin refugee camp after the massacre of April 2002, to record the testimonies of local residents - many of whom were still searching among the debris for the bodies of their loved ones. A record of the Palestinian collective memory, this angry yet dignified film is essential viewing. Its banned in Israel, and dedicated to the producer Iyad Samudi. He was shot and killed by Isreali soldiers in June 2002, shortly after JENIN, JENIN was finished.
"Jenin, Jenin" "Jenin Jenin" (54 minutes) shows the extent to which the prolonged oppression and terror has affected the state of mind of the Palestinian inhabitants of the Jenin refugee camp. Listen to the old men, the children, the doctors and the grieving mothers of Jenin, after the Israeli army's April 2002 attack flattened homes and buried an unknown number of civilians. Bitterness and grief are the prevailing feelings among the majority of the population. Many have lost loved ones or are still searching for victims and belongings among the debris. 'Where is God,' an elderly man desperately wonders when surveying the debris in the Jenin refugee camp. 
A little girl, who does not seem to be much older than twelve, tells her story but knows no fear. The ongoing violence in her day-to-day life only nourishes her feelings of hatred and the urge to take revenge. She shouts that the Palestinians will never give up the struggle, that they will keep on producing children who can continue the fight against injustice. 
The sad question forces itself on the spectator. What will become of a country, a people when its children are confronted with war and violence from a very early age? Banned in Israel, "Jenin Jenin" is dedicated to Iyad Samudi, the producer of the film, who was shot dead by Israeli soldiers on June 23rd, 2002, as he returned home after completing the film. "Jenin Jenin" features at International Documentary Filmfestival Israeli censors ban film about battle of Jenin
Editorial Reviews Winner: International Prize for Mediterranean Documentary Filmmaking & Reporting Jenin Jenin, directed and co-produced by Palestinian actor and director Mohamed Bakri, includes testimony from Jenin residents after the Israeli army's Defensive Wall operation, during which the city and camp were the scenes of fierce fighting. The operation ended with Jenin flattened and scores of Palestinians dead. Palestinians as well as numerous human rights groups accused Israel of committing war crimes in the April 2002 attack on the refugee camp. Jenin Jenin shows the extent to which the prolonged oppression and terror has affected the state of mind of the Palestinian inhabitants of Jenin. Bitterness and grief are the prevailing feelings among the majority of the population. Many have lost loved ones or are still searching for victims and furniture among the debris. A little girl, who does not seem to be much older than twelve, tells her story but knows no fear. The ongoing violence in her day-to-day life only nourishes her feelings of hatred and the urge to take revenge. She tells what she would do to Prime Minister Sharon if he visited the camp and she shouts that the Palestinians will never give up the struggle. They will keep on producing children, who can continue the fight against injustice. Banned in Israel, Jenin Jenin is dedicated to Iyad Samoudi, the producer of the film. On June 23, as Israeli forces besieged Yamun, Samoudi was shot and killed as he was leaving a military-closed area with three friends. More films created by Mohammad Bakri |
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