The documentary “Life Between Checkpoints” shot by the TRT Balkan team was screened at the 7th International Al Jazeera Balkans Documentary Film Festival (AJB DOC) organized by Al Jazeera Balkans in Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Within the scope of the festival, of which Anadolu Agency (AA) is the Global Communications Partner, TRT Balkan Director Emre Baştuğ and TRT Balkan Digital Channel Producer Melida Mustafic explained to the audience the production phase of the short documentary titled “Life Between Checkpoints”, which tells the lives of foreign women married to Palestinians in the West Bank.
Baştuğ, in his statement to AA correspondent, said that he was in Palestine shortly after Israel started its attacks on Gaza and that they went on a “hunt” in the region to make the stories of the people there heard.
Baştuğ, who stated that the documentary depicts Israel attacking everyone in Palestine regardless of religion, said, “The regional and world media almost never touches on this issue. We met four women married to Palestinians in Bethlehem. After establishing mutual trust, they told us about the problems they were experiencing.”
Baştuğ pointed out that women from Germany, Austria, Croatia and Serbia told their own stories in the documentary, and said, “In an environment where Israel’s attacks continue, we tried not to attract attention and not to stand out. Therefore, our camera became a phone. It was a safer method because Israel follows every step of the journalists.”
“We wanted to show through the documentary that it is not only Muslims who suffer in Palestine. It is very difficult to be a journalist in Palestine, and scary to be a foreign journalist, but thanks to our documentary we brought a new perspective to the situation there,” Mustafic said.
Bastuğ and Mustafic explained to the audience the importance of preparation for shooting under uncertain conditions.
Festival focuses on Palestine
The AJB DOC, which was opened yesterday and will continue until September 17, is addressing the suffering that the Palestinian people have suffered due to Israeli attacks this year.
The festival includes 24 documentaries on Israel’s violence against Palestinians, as well as world economic and political turmoil.
The jury members of the festival were Deborah London-Harrington, Namik Kabil, Mila Turajlic, Francesco Montagner and Myriam Francois.
In the competition section of AJB DOC, 3 awards will be given: “AJB Main Award”, “AJB Program Award” and “Audience Award”.
The festival will also feature an Industry Days program and panels will be held.
