Tall el Zaatar, 1976-77 (16mm negative, scan 2K/sound)

Location: Various, Lebanon/Beirut, Lebanon/Various, Palestine Creator: Mustafa Abu Ali, Pino Adriano, Jean Chamoun “During the 57 days of violent battle, no camera could approach the Tall el Zaatar camp.” “The testimonies of the camp's population, fighters, and political, military and health leaders were collected at the end of August 1976.” These two phrases - which precede the titles of the film - summarize the nature of a work - document that constitutes a choral testimony on one of the most atrocious and heroic episodes of recent years and a stage fundamental in the history of the Palestinian people. The film reconstructs the story of the Tall el Zaatar district camp and its resistance, in the context of the Lebanese war, as the protagonists told it: men, women and children Palestinians and Lebanese inhabitants in the field and survived the tragedy. Along with the testimonies, the dramatic images of the war: what was possible to record in a Beirut upset by armed clashes. Participation in the Festival dei Popoli (Florence, 1977); at the Film New Week in Taormina (1978); awarded at the Baghdad Film Festival (1978). The material, shot by Palestinian operators, with the addition of short repertoire sequences, was then organized, edited and musiced in Italy.