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26
SUMMER
2013
In a most unlikely place and in a most
unlikely building,
Fuad Halwani ’07
can
be found every Wednesday afternoon for
three hours standing among teenage boys
explaining with great zest the wonderful
art of filmmaking.
The place is the poverty stricken and
congested Palestinian camp of Sabra and
Chatila – home for thousands of Palestin-
ian refugees, poor Lebanese and the most
recent arrivals: Syrian refugees.
The boys – aged 15 to 23 – are students
of the electronic school run by the
JCC ( Joint Christian Council) which
runs many programs in refugee camps
throughout the country in the aim of
equipping young refugees and underprivi-
leged Lebanese with some kind of skill.
Usually, once classes are over for the day,
the boys leave the school and wander
aimlessly around the camp. Some may
find a tiny space to kick a ball, others go
back to their overcrowded homes and yet
others prefer just to loiter around.
Truth be told, life in and around the camp
is - for the lack of a more descriptive word
- dreary.The future is bleak. Refugees are
barred from working in over 70 skilled jobs
and unemployment rates for the Lebanese
are high, particularly for the Lebanese
youth which stood at 22% in 2007.
But for the past few weeks, these boys
have not been thinking of the camp or
their future. For they have discovered
something new in themselves. Something
which makes them feel rather special: they
are learning to act, write, film and edit.
The last thing on Halwani’s mind was to
volunteer his time at the camp. He had
never even heard of JCC until he met a
young German theology student, Anna
Steinke, who was studying at NEST
(Near East School of Theology).They got
to talking. As an exchange student, Stein-
ke had already visited the JCC center in
the camp and was struck by the boys. No
sooner did she find out that Halwani was
a filmmaker did she suggest the idea of
him starting an acting and filmmaking
class for the boys. JCC was thrilled and
offered its premises.
Before he knew it, Halwani found himself
in the impoverished camp offering the
boys a chance to learn how to make films.
Would these underprivileged boys even
want to learn this rather luxurious art usu-
ally reserved for the more elite? And, quite
honestly, what for, he thought to himself.
But he would prove himself wrong.The
boys’ enthusiasm took Halwani aback.
“It was a challenge at the beginning” said
Halwani. “The whole idea was too distant
for them. But they wanted to learn every-
thing and I realized that I really wanted
to teach them everything.”
Every session sees new activities. “They
write stories, they tell them, act them out,
direct them and film them,” he continued.
“Sometimes, they go out in the camp and
film things as well.”
The equipment is simple: their mobile
telephones and flash drives. Everything is
filmed with the phones and then down-
loaded onto flash drives for viewing.
At the beginning, the boys were continu-
ously joking. But with time, they began
to take it more seriously. Even the JCC
school personnel have reported a dis-
tinctive change in the boys during the
electronic classes.They are more attentive,
motivated and mature.
Before long, budding actors, writers and
filmmakers began to appear. Hassan As-
far, 15, seems to be a born actor. He can
improvise with conviction any scene given
to him. “I didn’t know I could act,” he said
proudly. “I’d love to become an actor. But
I don’t think I will have the opportunity.”
Mahmoud Abou Sbeih, 23, eagerly waits
for Wednesday afternoons to learn about
filming. “I’ve always wanted to do this. I
love it,” he said. “It’s great to learn some-
thing new.”
When Halwani had to travel to Europe for
two weeks, another IC graduate volun-
teered to take his place.
Sany Abdul Baki
‘06
, a theater major in London, took over
the class and then became part of the team.
Both men discovered their love for film-
making and acting while taking theatre
classes with IC drama teacher, Riad Chirazi,
during their Secondary school days.They
decided their future career there and then.
At the end of the course, Halwani hopes
to produce a short film; written, acted,
filmed and edited by the boys.The film,
which will be shot professionally,
is hoped to be aired in festivals
around the world.
“Teaching these boys has been an
amazingly enriching experience for
me,” said Halwani. “Sometimes it’s
tough and sometimes I have to put
an extra effort to get my message
across. But to see them grasp it
and enjoy it, is so rewarding.This is
something that happens once in a
lifetime.”
In a most unlikely place