Readers of Mondoweiss may recall two interviews that I conducted with freelance film director Hala Gabriel, who for the last seven years has been working on a documentary about the Palestinian fishing village of Tantura, the massacre that took place there in 1948, and the subsequent experiences of the survivors, most of whom found refuge in Syria but have now been displaced again. The first interview, “On the Road to Tantura,” appeared on August 27, 2015 and the second interview, “The struggle of refugees in Lebanon, Greece, and Germany,” on June 9, 2016.
Hala is herself a child of Tantura exiles who came to the United States. She embarked on this project mainly in order to preserve the memories of the older generation of her family and other former residents of Tantura. Her quest has taken her to Palestine/Israel and to refugee camps in Syria, Lebanon, and various European countries.
The basic work on the documentary has now been done. Hala and her producer Talal Jabari have a solid 70-minute “rough cut” of the film. However, there remains significant work to be done in order to complete the project in the near future at the same high standard of professionalism as they have maintained since the start of the project. They aim to release the film by the 70th anniversary of the Nakba and in time for the 2018 film festival circuit.
To speed up the work a “crowd-funding” appeal has been launched on Kickstarter. This means that would-be donors make pledges, but the money is collected only if a set target is reached by a certain date. The goal is to obtain pledges totaling $55,000 by Tuesday, July 4, 2017.
As of today (Thursday, June 8, 2017) just over one fifth of this sum has been pledged.
For further information, including a preview of the film, please go to the Kickstarter page. Here you will be able to make your pledge and see how it contributes to progress toward the goal. Thank you.
i had the opportunity to watch excellent film 2 nights ago. it’s so close to being finished. knock out film.
i don’t understand the “All or nothing” with kickstarter. i really hope they make their target. i highly recommend this thoroughly relevant moving film. please support it if you can.
hats off to Hala Gabriel and Talal Jabari.
Benny Morris delved into the archives and found an unsigned short report on Tantura Operation, IDFA 922/75//949, and ya’akov B.’, in the name of the deputy OC ‘A’ company ‘Report on Operation Namal’ 26 May 1948, IDFA 6647/49//13.
That report claims dozens of villagers were killed.
Even the Arabs admit that the villagers used arms to resist the IDF.
I’d call that a battle, not a massacre.
How is it that there’s no mention in Hala’s articles that 13 Jewish Alexandroni Brigade soldiers died in the battle for Tantura?
http://www.momentmag.com/visit-tantura/
Nor does Hala tell us whether her parents witnessed a ‘massacre’. Odd, to say the least.
What disgusts me, is third-rate agitprop, for sale by pseudo revisionist historians.
It’s Tantura, it isn’t Mooser.
*Daddy. Look at me!*
Daddy. I’m here!