"New" Find: The Cinema and the Revolution
Film Catalogue of the PFLP
March 28, 2020


 

While sorting out a collection of particularly dusty books and documents, UMAM D&R came across a sealed folder whose kaleidoscope of stains and smudges led one to wonder what could possibly be inside, and from what era did its forgotten contents hail. Adding to the mystique was the remarkable lack of markings indicating that the envelope had ever been opened. How is it that after decades of existence not a single person ever got curious enough to open it up? We could hardly wait to see what kind of window into the past was waiting to be seen.

To our pleasant surprise we found a brochure about the filmmaking techniques of the Palestinian Resistance in times of revolution, giving specific praise to the Popular Front for its ability to "show the true facts of the Palestinian struggle..." The brochure also talks about distributing Palestinian films to political parties, workers' organizations, and student groups as a way of sharing the "revolution's thinking." It provides information on a few of these films, and as if to settle any doubts about the authenticity of the fighting scenes they display, the brochure mentions training fighters "to use the camera side by side with the rifle in the battle for liberation."

What a great find, especially as Lebanon goes through a "revolution" of its own!

Read the full brochure...
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