Synopsis

Cinema Jenin follows an ambitious initiative to re-open a previously abandoned cinema in the West Bank city of Jenin. Founded in the 1960s, it was once the largest cinema in the Palestinian territories, today it stands as a hollow echo of its society. Re-building the cinema, Germans and Palestinians come together evoking often comedic but always political and cultural ramifications. Cinema Jenin witnesses an intimate, nuanced and textured view into the city and its domestic affairs as well as the journey of a dedicated, loyal, often conflicted group of people who hope that the re-building of the cinema will be a bridge to peace, education and Palestinians self-empowerment. When German director Marcus Vetter goes to Jenin in the Palestinian territories for a story about Ismael, whose son was shot by an Israeli sniper, he discovers that the city once boasted a cinema where people lined up to watch local and international films. The resurrection of Cinema Jenin has enormous dramatic potential, but it is also of major political significance. The idea behind reopening the cinema was to foster and promote a cinema culture that will sustain the development of cinema-going and, by extension, of cross-cultural understanding. At the same time, it would help encourage free and fair education.

Director

• 

  Marcus VETTER
  

  After studying European Business Management, he was a trainee at the movie production company Bavaria in Munich. Son of a German mother and a Turkish father, whom Vetter last saw at the age of seven and met him again after 30 years while shooting the documentary Mein Vater, der Türke (2006) (TV) about himself and the Turkish part of his family.
  
  Cinema Jenin (2011)
  Hunger (2009)
  Das Herz von Jenin / The Heart of Jenin (2008)
  Eine Reise in die Ebay-Welt / Traders’ Dreams (2007)

Credits

• Director  Marcus VETTER
• Producer  Uwe DIERKS, Thomas GRUBE, Philippa KOWARSKY , Marcus VETTER
• Cinematographer  Alex BAKRI
• Editor  Saskia METTEN
• Sound  Aljosch HAUPT

Distributor/Sales

• Distributor/Sales  Cinephil 18 Levontin St. Tel-Aviv 65112 Israel
• Tel  972 3 5664 129
• E-mail  info@cinephil.co.il