Salwa Abu Lebdeh
Posted on | December 1, 2008 | No Comments
Camerawoman and documentary filmmaker
I am a director. I try to show a picture that’s different from the one you see on television that depicts a nation being killed, a nation that lacks life—with only funerals and flags. I show our life: a people with a history, civilization, and heritage.
Is it difficult being a Palestinian female director?
A media job is difficult because it requires working late. Sometimes I come home at midnight or one o’clock. At first, my family asked, “When are you going to get sleep? Shall we send you a nightgown to the television station?” Now, my mother invites her neighbors to see my works on television.
I’ve been making documentaries for thirteen years. Palestinian women do all kinds of jobs, even as women police officers. The occupation is bad. However, it has led to making women independent, able to lead people and be their own bosses.
The woman takes on the true role in the struggle. She occupied the front rows of the revolution. She leads the man. Yet the Palestinian Authority has not treated women fairly. Does the Palestinian Authority rise on the shoulders of the senior women in it? No.
Palestinian women teach in schools, work in the media, contribute to women’s organizations, and support communities in refugee camps. Where do we see these women? Why are there are no political, cultural, or media roles for them? Women have huge energy. We should be allowed room to give.
What subjects do you document?
Many things make me sad. However, they push me to advance despite my sadness inside. Sadness makes me step forward to come out of sadness.
So, I do documentaries that touch my interests. “Eyewitnesses” documents Palestinian towns, their histories and events they have gone through. These are powerful because they are told by people themselves, by families’ stories. The title for “Eyewitness” was inspired by an elderly woman who described her suffering during the 1948 displacement of Palestinians, saying, “This is what I witnessed with my own eyes.”
And I made a documentary about the suffering of Palestinian female detainees in Israeli prisons, the opportunities that open for them when they are freed, and the directions each one of them takes.
Another documentary I helped produce is called the Impossible Dialogue, about the Palestinian-Israeli dialogue from the point of view of myself, the Israeli director Yoram Ben Nor, and a German director who filmed the exchange. It describes how Yoram Ben Nor and I worked together on a documentary for the first time, and how art reflects the broader political discussions.
Tell us about your childhood and education.
My father passed away when I was little. My mother is a great lady; even though she is not educated, she did everything in her power to make sure her children got an education. I feel strong because of her strength. When it appeared that she would not be able to support my university education on her own, I started working in 12th grade in order to save for it.
I studied Arabic literature. Later, I received a scholarship from the American Consulate General to study investigative reporting in the United States. I’ve always aimed for the highest to improve myself. I also won a scholarship in Germany for television journalism. My family was surprised because there was no television station in the area except for the Israeli television. They asked, “Where will you work?” However, I said that I wanted to learn a new job and as it happened, when I returned the Palestinian Authority had established a television station.
Tell us about your family.
I have six children, three boys and three girls. My husband is a journalist. He is also a writer. He has won many awards for short stories. I would not be here without him. He is my number one aid. As I travel a lot, he stays at home with the children. When I had to go abroad to work, my husband would look after the house and children. I feel blessed because my husband and children stand by my side.
What in your eyes constitutes a successful documentary?
I experience moments of fear when a documentary is made—the fear of not achieving the best. In general, I have found that the stories that proved to be the most successful were those directly told by people—true stories. These are powerful stories because they are told by people themselves. That is my philosophy in art; I let people tell their stories, and the people make the documentary a success.
This is also reflected in how I choose the titles for my documentaries; the people inspire me. When I interview, I listen closely to the words of the people, the simple people, and I pick up a wise or striking phrase for the title.
What do you hope for your work?
I am grateful because my work enables women in distant places to think about us. This work brings women together and helps us share our agony. It can change women’s situations worldwide.
There is a proverb that says, “The woman is half the universe.” I say, “The woman is the whole universe,” because the woman is the source of everything. The woman brings up children. Therefore, she can change policies through the next generation, and in the present through her skills and talents. She is the power behind everything that happens. Give women a chance.
Do you have hope for the future?
We always say that the future is better. We look for the best. I always look at the step ahead. The Palestinian people are a hopeful people.
For thirteen years Abu Lebdeh has filmed the Palestinian people, their life stories, causes, and events. A believer in nonviolence and women’s strength, she was the spokeswoman for The Jerusalem Center for Women. Abu Lebdeh has documented the history of Palestinian towns and the suffering and opportunities of female detainees released from Israeli prisons. She works at the Palestinian Broadcasting Corporation in Ramallah.
