Kaddoura Fares, head of the Palestinian Prisoners Club (PPC), said the decision to suspend the screening of “Amira” is a first step in the right direction, but the best thing to do is to turn the page on this movie that “abuses the struggle of our prisoners and their families.”
Following a call by Amira's team to watch and discuss the film, Fares said: "We watched the whole work, and we discussed its details before announcing our final judgment.”
“Instead of calling for discussions, they should turn the page on this movie once and for ever. We back all the demands of our hero prisoners,” Fares added in a statement.
The head of the PPC hailed the stance of Jordanian and Palestinian people, which played a major role in the suspension decision, saying: “This is just a first step and more should be done in collaboration with the concerned parties.”
He also called for maintaining the popular movement which has always proved that “our prisoners are the compass and the route towards freedom.”
Fares’ statement came after director Mohamed Diab announced Wednesday that the screening of the movie exploring the sensitive cause of “sperm smuggling” from Israeli detention camps will be suspended following the massive popular rage.
Diab called the prisoners and their families to form a panel to watch the movie and discuss it, saying: “We believe in the good intention of Amira. The film would never offend the prisoners and the Palestinian cause.”
"Our team understands the rage of those who thought the movie abuses the prisoners and their families,” the director said, adding that “the noble aim of the movie could never be achieved on the expenses of the prisoners and their families who have been affected by the foggy picture that surrounded the work.”
Diab’s statement followed an anger wave in Palestine and Jordan against the movie, which according to the prisoners, is “suspicious and deceptive.”
The prisoners slammed the director and producer in a letter, saying “you are helping achieve a goal that the occupation failed to achieve.”
“The movie is deceiving, tacky, and offensive to the Palestinian strivers who know their circumstances more than anyone else,” the letter added.
Palestinian and Jordanian officials also slammed the movie, which was selected by the Royal Film Commission of Jordan to represent the kingdom in the Oscars' international feature film category for the year 2022, before it decides to suspend it.
The commission announced Thursday that it withdrew the movie from the Oscar.
“In light of the huge controversy sparked by the movie seen as offensive and abusive to the Palestinian cause, and due to our respect to the feelings of the prisoners and their families, the commission decided to withdraw Amira from representing Jordan in the Oscars,” the Royal Film Commission of Jordan said in a statement.
“We appreciate the artistic value of the film and we believe it doesn’t offend the Palestinian cause or the prisoners, but it rather highlights their struggle, resistance, and longing for a decent life despite the occupation,” the statement added.
“The film was successfully screened in many international film festivals including Venice, El Gouna, Carthage, and the Karama Human Rights Film Festival in Amman. It also won two international awards. However, because of the huge controversy and foggy interpretation, we decided to withdraw it from representing the Kingdom in the Oscars,” the commission added.
Earlier this week, the commission responded to all the criticism it was subject to in a statement, saying “the movie is an imaginary feature film, not a documentary. The narrative was determined by the director, scriptwriter, and producer."
The movie is starred by Jordanian Saba Mubarak, Palestinian Ali Suleiman, and young actress Tara Abboud. It is directed by Egyptian Mohamed Diab and co-produced by several Arabic companies.
The story of the movie revolves around Amira, a teenager born after an in-vitro fertilization using a smuggled sperm from her father, a prisoner at the Israeli “Majdo” prison. Proud for being the daughter of a Palestinian striver, the teenager later discovers that her biological father is an Israeli officer who replaced the sperm before it was smuggled.
