WEBVTT 00:00:02.819 --> 00:00:04.549 Or what, should we start like this? 00:00:06.409 --> 00:00:09.259 Of course she wants to call out to someone or have a chat. 00:00:09.259 --> 00:00:12.209 This initiative was designed for women. 00:00:12.209 --> 00:00:16.209 We chose to work with women, on account of the many difficult experiences 00:00:16.209 --> 00:00:17.689 during the war; 00:00:17.689 --> 00:00:21.689 like living in tents, they are facing many challenging circumstances. 00:00:22.315 --> 00:00:26.315 There are many participants, for whom this was their first time drawing. 00:00:27.231 --> 00:00:30.131 And their very first time participating in animated films. 00:00:30.359 --> 00:00:35.859 This motivated us to work with several displaced women living in tents. 00:00:35.859 --> 00:00:39.444 This group of people really need to be doing something with their hands. 00:00:39.444 --> 00:00:42.454 To produce something that they want to communicate to society. 00:00:43.210 --> 00:00:47.210 First we participated in character development; 00:00:47.236 --> 00:00:51.236 So I designed a woman character dressed in the traditional peasant dress (thob). 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 00:00:56.055 --> 00:00:58.165 who is engaged to be married. 00:00:58.165 --> 00:01:01.435 She's talking about the privacy or lack-thereof in the tents- 00:01:01.435 --> 00:01:03.712 She's unable to speak freely with her fiancee, 00:01:03.712 --> 00:01:06.122 her siblings always come out this or that side. 00:01:06.260 --> 00:01:10.260 I also participated in some voice acting portraying an elderly woman, the eldest 00:01:10.260 --> 00:01:15.540 in her family, so she gives advice to the younger girls and comforts them. 00:01:16.955 --> 00:01:20.955 By God, fear not my darlings, God will provide reprieve, and we will return 00:01:20.955 --> 00:01:24.285 to our homes and our loved ones and our country. 00:01:24.285 --> 00:01:27.875 God willing, no one shall reprieve us but God. 00:01:27.875 --> 00:01:30.795 Creating stop motion films can help with emotional release. 00:01:30.795 --> 00:01:34.125 We provide paper, scissor and colors. 00:01:34.133 --> 00:01:38.133 The women create the characters they want, convey the message they wish to express, 00:01:39.033 --> 00:01:42.363 cut them out, color them and then place them on a background image- 00:01:42.363 --> 00:01:44.453 what we refer to as decor. 00:01:44.453 --> 00:01:48.453 They also prepare this background- tents or sitting rooms. 00:01:48.453 --> 00:01:52.453 And they place the character and move it themselves, to convey their messages. 00:01:52.458 --> 00:01:56.458 The challenges were sourcing the materials, particularly the pens and 00:01:56.480 --> 00:02:01.440 colors, because of the war and nothing is coming through the border crossings. 00:02:01.472 --> 00:02:03.962 As well as finding a space to host the activities- 00:02:03.962 --> 00:02:07.962 Previously we would rent a classroom or a room that was fully equipped. 00:02:07.962 --> 00:02:11.162 Now we make do with a tent or the corridor in a school- 00:02:11.162 --> 00:02:15.162 and it's really cramped, making it difficult to work with the target group. 00:02:15.216 --> 00:02:18.066 "It's so hard to speak with with my fiancé in this tent- 00:02:18.066 --> 00:02:20.796 So please, take some cotton and stick it in your ears!" 00:02:20.796 --> 00:02:24.336 Together hand and hand we can maintain a measure of privacy in the tents! 00:02:24.336 --> 00:02:27.426 "Oh my, I can't wait to marry you off and be relieved of you! 00:02:27.426 --> 00:02:30.283 My dear, this is how it is in the tents, aren't you living in one? 00:02:30.283 --> 00:02:31.938 What do you expect!" 00:02:32.758 --> 00:02:36.758 The women expressed that they don't want someone to come and talk 00:02:36.766 --> 00:02:40.766 to them about their issues; they wanted to produce something to communicate 00:02:40.766 --> 00:02:44.766 to others what they were living through, their trials and tribulations. 00:02:45.049 --> 00:02:49.049 To convey their ideas, to say: "we are here, we exist, we can produce things, 00:02:49.049 --> 00:02:52.269 we can make things, we can work," 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 00:02:55.779 --> 00:02:57.149 children and that's it." 00:02:57.149 --> 00:03:01.149 "No, I have my own challenges. and things I want to convey to 00:03:01.149 --> 00:03:04.319 a broader audience, whether in the Arab world or internationally. " 00:03:04.319 --> 00:03:08.319 Up until now, we have produced 3-4 stop motion films, sharing stories of displaced 00:03:08.319 --> 00:03:10.539 people in tents in Deir El Balah. 00:03:10.539 --> 00:03:14.539 These films participated in international film festivals. 00:03:14.539 --> 00:03:15.735 And Arab film festivals. 00:03:15.735 --> 00:03:17.995 The Ottawa film festival in Canada. 00:03:17.995 --> 00:03:21.995 And the Audi Film Festival with the film Red Autumn. 00:03:21.995 --> 00:03:25.395 Currently we are subtitling the films to submit them to film festivals 00:03:26.631 --> 00:03:28.791 "By God, enjoy that toy, Uncle Mohamed!" 00:03:28.791 --> 00:03:30.441 " Where are you going red!" 00:03:30.521 --> 00:03:33.031 " Oh beloved father, thank you for the teddy bear!" 00:03:35.038 --> 00:03:39.038 "It's hot man, leave people alone. The teddy bear was for his daughter!" 00:03:39.427 --> 00:03:42.257 "Oh dear, we misjudged that poor man! We enjoyed our youth, 00:03:42.257 --> 00:03:46.257 let others enjoy theirs too!.