1
00:00:02,819 --> 00:00:04,549
Or what, should we start like this?

2
00:00:06,409 --> 00:00:09,259
Of course she wants to call out to 
someone or have a chat.

3
00:00:09,259 --> 00:00:12,209
This initiative was designed for women.

4
00:00:12,209 --> 00:00:16,209
We chose to work with women, on account
of the many difficult experiences

5
00:00:16,209 --> 00:00:17,689
during the war;

6
00:00:17,689 --> 00:00:21,689
like living in tents, they are facing 
many challenging circumstances.

7
00:00:22,315 --> 00:00:26,315
There are many participants, for whom
this was their first time drawing.

8
00:00:27,231 --> 00:00:30,131
And their very first time participating in
animated films.

9
00:00:30,359 --> 00:00:35,859
This motivated us to work with several
displaced women living in tents.

10
00:00:35,859 --> 00:00:39,444
This group of people really need to be 
doing something with their hands.

11
00:00:39,444 --> 00:00:42,454
To produce something that they want
to communicate to society.

12
00:00:43,210 --> 00:00:47,210
First we participated in character 
development;

13
00:00:47,236 --> 00:00:51,236
So I designed a woman character dressed
in the traditional peasant dress (thob).

14
00:00:52,055 --> 00:00:56,055
I based the character off of one of my
friends; she's a mother to a daughter

15
00:00:56,055 --> 00:00:58,165
who is engaged to be married.

16
00:00:58,165 --> 00:01:01,435
She's talking about the privacy 
or lack-thereof in the tents-

17
00:01:01,435 --> 00:01:03,712
She's unable to speak freely with her
fiancee,

18
00:01:03,712 --> 00:01:06,122
her siblings always come out
this or that side.

19
00:01:06,260 --> 00:01:10,260
I also participated in some voice acting 
portraying an elderly woman, the eldest

20
00:01:10,260 --> 00:01:15,540
in her family, so she gives advice to the
younger girls and comforts them.

21
00:01:16,955 --> 00:01:20,955
By God, fear not my darlings, God will
provide reprieve, and we will return

22
00:01:20,955 --> 00:01:24,285
to our homes and our loved ones
and our country.

23
00:01:24,285 --> 00:01:27,875
God willing, no one shall 
reprieve us but God.

24
00:01:27,875 --> 00:01:30,795
Creating stop motion films can
help with emotional release.

25
00:01:30,795 --> 00:01:34,125
We provide paper, scissor
and colors.

26
00:01:34,133 --> 00:01:38,133
The women create the characters they want,
convey the message they wish to express,

27
00:01:39,033 --> 00:01:42,363
cut them out, color them and 
then place them on a background image-

28
00:01:42,363 --> 00:01:44,453
what we refer to as decor.

29
00:01:44,453 --> 00:01:48,453
They also prepare this background- tents
or sitting rooms.

30
00:01:48,453 --> 00:01:52,453
And they place the character and move it
themselves, to convey their messages.

31
00:01:52,458 --> 00:01:56,458
The challenges were sourcing the 
materials, particularly the pens and

32
00:01:56,480 --> 00:02:01,440
colors, because of the war and nothing
is coming through the border crossings.

33
00:02:01,472 --> 00:02:03,962
As well as finding a space to host the 
activities-

34
00:02:03,962 --> 00:02:07,962
Previously we would rent a classroom or
a room that was fully equipped.

35
00:02:07,962 --> 00:02:11,162
Now we make do with a tent or the
corridor in a school-

36
00:02:11,162 --> 00:02:15,162
and it's really cramped, making it 
difficult to work with the target group.

37
00:02:15,216 --> 00:02:18,066
"It's so hard to speak with with my fiancé
in this tent-

38
00:02:18,066 --> 00:02:20,796
So please, take some cotton and 
stick it in your ears!"

39
00:02:20,796 --> 00:02:24,336
Together hand and hand we can maintain
a measure of privacy in the tents!

40
00:02:24,336 --> 00:02:27,426
"Oh my, I can't wait to marry you
off and be relieved of you!

41
00:02:27,426 --> 00:02:30,283
My dear, this is how it is in the 
tents, aren't you living in one?

42
00:02:30,283 --> 00:02:31,938
What do you expect!"

43
00:02:32,758 --> 00:02:36,758
The women expressed that they don't
want someone to come and talk

44
00:02:36,766 --> 00:02:40,766
to them about their issues; they wanted
to produce something to communicate

45
00:02:40,766 --> 00:02:44,766
to others what they were living through,
their trials and tribulations.

46
00:02:45,049 --> 00:02:49,049
To convey their ideas, to say: "we are
here, we exist, we can produce things,

47
00:02:49,049 --> 00:02:52,269
we can make things, we can work,"

48
00:02:52,269 --> 00:02:55,779
"My role is not just to sit around
in the tents and cook and tend to the

49
00:02:55,779 --> 00:02:57,149
children and that's it."

50
00:02:57,149 --> 00:03:01,149
"No, I have my own challenges. 
and things I want to convey to

51
00:03:01,149 --> 00:03:04,319
a broader audience, whether in the
Arab world or internationally. "

52
00:03:04,319 --> 00:03:08,319
Up until now, we have produced 3-4 stop 
motion films, sharing stories of displaced

53
00:03:08,319 --> 00:03:10,539
people in tents in Deir El Balah.

54
00:03:10,539 --> 00:03:14,539
These films participated in international
film festivals.

55
00:03:14,539 --> 00:03:15,735
And Arab film festivals.

56
00:03:15,735 --> 00:03:17,995
The Ottawa film festival in Canada.

57
00:03:17,995 --> 00:03:21,995
And the Audi Film Festival with the film
Red Autumn.

58
00:03:21,995 --> 00:03:25,395
Currently we are subtitling the films
to submit them to film festivals

59
00:03:26,631 --> 00:03:28,791
"By God, enjoy that toy,
Uncle Mohamed!"

60
00:03:28,791 --> 00:03:30,441
" Where are you going red!"

61
00:03:30,521 --> 00:03:33,031
" Oh beloved father, thank you for
the teddy bear!"

62
00:03:35,038 --> 00:03:39,038
"It's hot man, leave people alone.
The teddy bear was for his daughter!"

63
00:03:39,427 --> 00:03:42,257
"Oh dear, we misjudged that poor man!
We enjoyed our youth,

64
00:03:42,257 --> 00:03:46,257
let others enjoy theirs too!.