deir al balah animation for subtitles

Or what, should we start like this?

Of course she wants to call out to
someone or have a chat.

This initiative was designed for women.

We chose to work with women, on account
of the many difficult experiences

during the war;

like living in tents, they are facing
many challenging circumstances.

There are many participants, for whom
this was their first time drawing.

And their very first time participating in
animated films.

This motivated us to work with several
displaced women living in tents.

This group of people really need to be
doing something with their hands.

To produce something that they want
to communicate to society.

First we participated in character
development;

So I designed a woman character dressed
in the traditional peasant dress (thob).

I based the character off of one of my
friends; she's a mother to a daughter

who is engaged to be married.

She's talking about the privacy
or lack-thereof in the tents-

She's unable to speak freely with her
fiancee,

her siblings always come out
this or that side.

I also participated in some voice acting
portraying an elderly woman, the eldest

in her family, so she gives advice to the
younger girls and comforts them.

By God, fear not my darlings, God will
provide reprieve, and we will return

to our homes and our loved ones
and our country.

God willing, no one shall
reprieve us but God.

Creating stop motion films can
help with emotional release.

We provide paper, scissor
and colors.

The women create the characters they want,
convey the message they wish to express,

cut them out, color them and
then place them on a background image-

what we refer to as decor.

They also prepare this background- tents
or sitting rooms.

And they place the character and move it
themselves, to convey their messages.

The challenges were sourcing the
materials, particularly the pens and

colors, because of the war and nothing
is coming through the border crossings.

As well as finding a space to host the
activities-

Previously we would rent a classroom or
a room that was fully equipped.

Now we make do with a tent or the
corridor in a school-

and it's really cramped, making it
difficult to work with the target group.

"It's so hard to speak with with my fiancé
in this tent-

So please, take some cotton and
stick it in your ears!"

Together hand and hand we can maintain
a measure of privacy in the tents!

"Oh my, I can't wait to marry you
off and be relieved of you!

My dear, this is how it is in the
tents, aren't you living in one?

What do you expect!"

The women expressed that they don't
want someone to come and talk

to them about their issues; they wanted
to produce something to communicate

to others what they were living through,
their trials and tribulations.

To convey their ideas, to say: "we are
here, we exist, we can produce things,

we can make things, we can work,"

"My role is not just to sit around
in the tents and cook and tend to the

children and that's it."

"No, I have my own challenges.
and things I want to convey to

a broader audience, whether in the
Arab world or internationally. "

Up until now, we have produced 3-4 stop
motion films, sharing stories of displaced

people in tents in Deir El Balah.

These films participated in international
film festivals.

And Arab film festivals.

The Ottawa film festival in Canada.

And the Audi Film Festival with the film
Red Autumn.

Currently we are subtitling the films
to submit them to film festivals

"By God, enjoy that toy,
Uncle Mohamed!"

" Where are you going red!"

" Oh beloved father, thank you for
the teddy bear!"

"It's hot man, leave people alone.
The teddy bear was for his daughter!"

"Oh dear, we misjudged that poor man!
We enjoyed our youth,

let others enjoy theirs too!.