Present/Absent

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Present/Absent

Q&A filmmaker Rozeen Bisharat and JBFC Creative Culture Director Sean Weiner

2018. 120 m. Rozeen Bisharat. Israel/Palestine. Arabic/Hebrew/English with subtitles. Rated NR.

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A work-in-progress screening with inaugural Woman Filmmaker-in-Residence from Israel, Rozeen Bisharat.

Rozeen Bisharat’s stunning new documentary follows two women: Theresa Halsa, an 18-year-old Palestinian who hijacked Sabena flight 571 in 1972, and Rozeen (a young actor played by the filmmaker) who is cast as Theresa in a movie version of the event. By blending news footage with reenactments and putting the real Theresa in a room with the woman playing her younger self, Present/Absent is an absurdist and entertaining portrait of the impossible identity issues that plague Palestinian citizens of Israel.

The Woman Filmmaker from Israel Residency is made possible through a partnership with Greenhouse and support from the Sally Burns Shenkman Fund.

JBFC’s Creative Culture program provides support to emerging filmmakers and fosters a thriving artistic community in the Hudson Valley region.

Tickets: $10 (members), $15 (nonmembers)

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Q&A filmmaker Rozeen Bisharat and JBFC Creative Culture Director Sean Weiner

Monday, Mar. 19 2018, 5:05

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Rozeen, a Palestinian filmmaker born in the Galilee as an Israeli citizen, started her studies in Tel Aviv University and quickly got involved in the film industry. She gained extensive experience and knowledge in different production roles for over a decade. Her interest and involvement in political struggles, activism and their relation to art and stories led her to work on her first documentary: Present/Absent. This work in progress follows her relationship with Terez Halasah (65), one of the hijackers of the Sabena airplane in 1972, while playing her role in an Israeli production. Dissolving history and representation, Rozeen sees in the documentary filmmaking a way to challenge the common narratives and to create complicity beyond the surface of the political image.

This film is part of the Westchester Jewish Film Festival 2018 series.