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The film screening will be followed by a discussion with film director Ramzi Maqdisi. Screening will start on S U N D A Y November 7, at 12:00 Noon US EST; 7:00 PM Palestine Time. 2016, 46 minutes, Arabic with English subtitles.
About the Film
Seven disabled Palestinians negotiate the challenges of life in Gaza and the Occupied West Bank. Around 113,000 people in the Occupied West Bank and Gaza live with disabilities. Over 33 percent of schoolgoers with disabilities drop out of school. In this film, we meet seven Palestinians aged between seven and 28 with different disabilities. Most were born with them; one was injured in Israeli attacks on Gaza. But they all have a positive attitude and a strong desire to overcome their physical weaknesses andrealise their dreams.
"This is a film I always wanted to make. As a child I was mute and studied in a school for children with special educational needs. It's almost ironic to me that, since gaining the ability to speak I became an actor (one who talks and talks) and I know deeply that we can all shine brightly. Sometimes we just need to be recognised or given the space to prove ourselves.
In the face of state-sanctioned violence, occupation, tragedy and disability - in places ill-equipped to handle special needs - the film shows us how seven young people have learned to navigate complex challenges with optimism and strength.
In Defying my Disability we see how this remarkable group of people are determined to make the most out of life and draw strength from everyday things around them - their families, the sea and themselves.” Ramzi Maqdisi
About the Director
Ramzi Maqdisi is a Palestinian filmmaker and a film and theater actor. As an actor Ramzi is known for Ghost Hunting (2017) awarded the best documentary at the Berlinale. His roles include The Translator (2020); Pour la Cause (2019); Writing on Snow (2017); Solomon's Stone (2015); Omar (2013) and The Attack (2012). In 2015 Ramzi directed and acted in Solomon's Stone which won the Best Short Film Audience Award at Mizna's Twin Cities Arab Film Festival. As a writer/director, Ramzi wants to disrupt, but he is careful. His films use subtlety and Kafkaesque humour to tell the little known story of how the Israeli government have damaged not just the bodies but also the minds of Palestinians in the occupied territories.