Aflamnah

In the 1970's the Palestinian Revolution which was based in Lebanon, was fighting for the freedom of Palestine. In 1980 a young 18-year-old Palestinian fighter called Ibrahim Salameh left his family in Kuwait to join that revolution. Two years after joining the fighters in Lebanon, Ibrahim was shot while on duty leading to his paralysis, ending his dream of being part of the revolution.  Saken is a film about this fighter and his caretaker Walid. Walid, an Egyptian man who came to Jordan to find work, was unaware that his path would cross with Ibrahim’s, and that together they would experience one of the strongest bonds two human beings could share. Saken is a film about friendship and sacrifice, how some people’s destinies are linked and hard to be broken.

The film is based in the Palestinian Liberation Army Hospital in Amman-Jordan, in Ibrahim’s hospital room. He hasn’t left his room for the past 12 years, he refuses to leave the hospital as he cannot stand the looks of pity he gets from people when he is in a wheelchair, "A person who is lying on a bed gives people the impression that he may be healed, unlike someone who is in a wheelchair" says Ibrahim.

By being in the military hospital, Ibrahim finds some solace in that he is surrounded by doctors and nurses who are in fact "Bader" military, part of the Palestinian Liberation Army. This army doesn't have a role now as it is based in Jordan. Its existence is reminiscent of a past glory…it is both alive and dead…as is Ibrahim, alive in spirit but in a motionless body, alive and dead as is the Palestinian revolution…A metaphor that will be recurrent throughout the film.

The film observes the monotony of these two men’s lives, by getting closer to their day to day routine; their conversations, fears, dreams and thoughts.

There is an apparent contradiction in their relationship, both come from different backgrounds; socially, politically and culturally. Walid comes from a rural village in Egypt with no political interests and no worries except for how to provide a decent living for his family.  Ibrahim on the other hand dedicated his life to a principle and a cause. Even though these differences appear in various situations, the years they have spent together have weaved a unique bond between them, where they both depend and complement each other, creating some sort of harmony between them.

The film enters these men’s lives in an almost un-intrusive manner, we see Walid take care of Ibrahim, feeding him, washing him, clipping his nails and making sure he has everything he needs. We witness intimate conversations between them, between Walid and his wife whom he calls often to check up on her and on their daughters. We see Ibrahim with some of his old friends sitting around him remembering stories from their heroic past, friends like Khaled Abu Usba'a, who is famous for several Fedai'i operations. Through these stories we will get to know Ibrahim, his past as a fighter and as a dreamer, his experience as a young cub “shibil” in Fateh in Kuwait, him as an idealistic fighter, leading us to the story of how he was wounded.

Throughout the film one question and concern remains with Ibrahim, and this concern is what causes tension in these men’s friendship. Ibrahim constantly worries about whether Walid will leave him for good. Walid assures him that he won't, and that he promised himself before he had a family and kids that he will never leave Ibrahim, unless one of them dies. But Ibrahim still feels anxious about this, especially with the arrival of Walid's 3rd child, which will be his first boy. Ibrahim feels that eventually a man must be with his family, and so all of Walid's efforts to reassure Ibrahim that he will always return, go to waste.

Whenever Walid prepares himself to travel Ibrahim gets nervous, although Walid's replacement is a kindhearted man, Ibrahim still dreads this part of the year. Usually in a hurry Walid says his good byes to Ibrahim and the nurses outside, knowing that Ibrahim will fall ill once he leaves as he usually does, but knowing that he will call him from Egypt regularly to make sure he is ok.

Will Walid return? Ibrahim falls in to this cycle of worry as he stares at the walls of the room…hoping for his friend’s return. 

People like Ibrahim and Walid are often forgotten. Their story is one of true heroism like the case of Ibrahim that needs to be documented as they should remain part of our collective history and memory. Simple day-to-day heroism like in the case of Walid is also an important example of humanity that brings hope and inspiration that we feel needs to be highlighted. This is a simple film about the relationship between these two men, but it also carries a lot of other meanings in the different layers.

Saken was shot over a 2-year period and towards the end of 2013 we completed shooting the film and are now entering the postproduction phase. We have received some funding for the film through Screen Institute Beirut and the IDFA Bertha Fund, and won a color correction award from Aroma in Egypt through the Ismailia Film Festival. We still however need the extra funds to complete the postproduction phase. The money we raise through Aflamnah will go towards postproduction costs, producing an original score for the film, sound design of the film, as well as marketing and distribution of the film. 

I was born in Amman – Jordan in 1976, I’m a Palestinian film Director/Actress/Writer, I have performed in 20 plays that toured many cities in Europe, South America and the Arab World, I also give workshops and training courses for young artists. Throughout my acting career I was awarded three times as best actress. In 2006 I decided to focus my career on film, and so I studied filmmaking at the Arab Institute of Film, after which I produced and directed 3 documentary films. My films focus on the Palestinian Cause but I usually find social stories that reflect the cause through them rather than making straightforward political films. I am fascinated with the human condition and how it is moulded and I try to let this show through my films.

Useful Links

• http://vimeo.com/14508152