Date: 14 May
Location: headquarters of the Fundación Tres Culturas
Time: 19:30
The Three Cultures Foundation will join in the various events organised around the world on 15 May, the date on which the Palestinian population commemorates the Nakba (the 'Disaster'), coinciding with the partition of British Mandate Palestine and the creation of the State of Israel in 1948. According to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), that same year 700,000 Palestinians were forced to leave their homes and became refugees. Today, UNRWA records more than five million Palestinian refugees who are descendants of those exiled as a result of the Nakba.
The sequence of the event organised by the Three Cultures Foundation on the occasion of the 67th anniversary of the Palestinian 'Disaster' will consist of a talk on the historical and political significance of the commemoration of the Palestinian 'Disaster'. Nakba by Ignacio Álvarez-Ossorio, professor of Arab and Islamic Studies at the University of Alicante, coordinator of the Middle East and Maghreb at the Fundación Alternativas and author of, among others, the work Why has peace failed? Keys to understanding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict (Los libros de la Catarata, 2007).
The talk will be followed by a screening of the film Two metres of this landby the Spanish-Palestinian director Ahmad Natche. The original title of this film comes from a verse by the Palestinian poet Mahmud Darwish (from his poem 'Mural'), in which he refers to the space he will need on the day of his death. According to the film's director, Darwish was an important inspiration for the making of the film. The film, however, does not focus on the poet or his work, but is a poetic approach to everyday life in Palestine through the preparation of a music festival that will be broadcast on television.
Two metres of this land is one of the few feature-length fiction films produced entirely in Palestine, where co-productions tend to be the norm. Filmed in Ramallah and starring non-professional actors, the project was supported by the Palestinian cultural foundation 'Jerusalem 2009 - Capital of Arab Culture' and Ramallah's local television station 'Al Quds Educational TV'. A campaign of crowdfunding launched on the internet allowed the post-production of the film to be financed.
The film has been screened at numerous international festivals, winning critical and public acclaim. Awards include: 'Special Mention at the Prix Georges de Beauregard International' FID Marseille 2012; 'Special Jury Mention', FICUNAM, International Film Festival 2013 (Mexico); Grand Prix Ville de Tétouan Award for Best Film, Festival International du Cinéma Méditerranéen de Tétouan 2013 and Special Jury Mention, LatinArab Film Festival 2013 (Argentina).
Two metres of this land is the first feature film directed by the Spanish-Palestinian director Ahmad Natche (Seville, 1974).
After the screening of the film, those attending the event will have the opportunity to discuss the film and the current socio-political context with the director and Professor Álvarez-Ossorio.
About Two metres of this earth
Original title: Metran men hada al-turab
Direction and script: Ahmad Natche. Palestinian Territories, 2012.
Duration: 80 minutes. Original version in Arabic, English and French with Spanish subtitles.
Free admission until full capacity is reached.