WUNRN
October
7, 2009
By
Paula Hancocks - CNN
PALESTINE-GAZA: ANIMATED FILM
CONFRONTS BREAST CANCER TABOO
It took six months for Palestinian doctors to take
Fatenah's concerns seriously and diagnose breast cancer.
RAMALLAH, West Bank (CNN) -- The harsh reality of life
and death in Gaza is a common theme for Palestinian filmmakers.
But it was the 2004 death of a young Palestinian woman --
not at the hands of a militant attack or an Israeli incursion -- that struck a
note with two filmmakers.
Their animated film, "Fatenah," is inspired by
her struggle with breast cancer, which is still a sensitive subject in the
Palestinian territories.
"The amount of trouble she has to go to just to
survive, you feel somehow committed to be part of that project, it is so strong
and so emotional," director Ahmad Habash told CNN.
Fatenah, which tells the fictional story of a young
seamstress from a Gaza refugee camp, is the first commercial Palestinian
animation film ever made.
The heart-wrenching tale follows Fatenah's pain and
humiliation as she struggles to leave Gaza for treatment after finding few
Palestinian doctors willing to help.
At first, one doctor suggests she loosen her bra, while
another says her condition will probably go away once she marries. It takes six
months for Palestinian doctors to treat her concerns seriously and diagnose her
with breast cancer.
Fatenah becomes tied up in Israeli and Palestinian
bureaucracy, denied treatment until it is too late. It is a devastating tale
that Habash said is not unique.
"The Shata refugee camp, which exists in Gaza ...
represents any refugee camp and [Fatenah] could be any woman," he said.
"The story could happen again."
The film's executive producer Saed Andoni said it was a
gamble telling such a tragic story using animation. But he believes that bet
has paid off.
"I think the animation has softened the harshness of
the topic," he said. "Breast cancer and illness and death and Gaza
and the siege, it's all heavy stuff, it's all harsh stuff. Put it in an
animation style, give it a new dimension, give it a new perspective."
At a screening in the West Bank city of Ramallah,
audience members wept after hearing Fatenah's story, saying they related to her
plight.
One scene shows Fatenah checking her breast for lumps.
The filmmakers hope this will help to break down barriers around a subject that
is still very hidden in the region.
"It's very taboo to speak about the woman's body in
Palestinian society, but in the film it happens and nobody criticizes and
nobody says anything about it," Andoni said. "They accept it."
The film breaks new ground by dealing with matters often
swept under the carpet in Palestinian society. Andoni said the film's greatest
endorsement came from the father of the woman whose real-life story inspired
the film.
The woman's father said he cried when he watched
it. "It's a very human story and if it can touch the real family, it is a
great moment," Andoni said.
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