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They Do Not Exist
 
 

   

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THEY DO NOT EXIST


Directed by | Mustafa Abu Ali

Genre documentary  |  Length: 25mins  |  Year of production: 1974


Salvaged from the ruins of Beirut after 1982, Abu Ali's early film has only recently been made available. Shooting under extraordinary conditions, the director, who worked with Godard on his Ici et Ailleurs (Here and Elsewhere), and founded the PLO's film division, covers conditions in Lebanon's refugee camps, the effects of Israeli bombardments, and the lives of guerrillas in training camps. They Do Not Exist is a stylistically unique work which demonstrates the intersection between the political and the aesthetic.

Now recognised as a cornerstone in the development of Palestinian cinema, the film only received its Palestine premiere in 2003, when a group of Palestinian artists “smuggled” the director to a makeshift cinema in his hometown of Jerusalem (into which Israel bars his entry). Abu Ali, who saw his film for the first time in 20 years at this clandestine event noted: "We used to say 'Art for the Struggle', now it's 'Struggle for the Art'"
PalestineConnect is a small grassroots charity that operates community-led centres in the Gaza Strip. These computer-aided learning centres provide disadvantaged Palestinian children and young adults with a safe and relaxed environment in which to undertake a range of IT-related courses – that compliment the UNRWA schooling system and are vocationally relevant. All centres have disabled access and facilities and offer services to children irrespective of (dis)ability and gender.
PalestineConnect is a small grassroots charity that operates community-led centres in the Gaza Strip. These computer-aided learning centres provide disadvantaged Palestinian children and young adults with a safe and relaxed environment in which to undertake a range of IT-related courses – that compliment the UNRWA schooling system and are vocationally relevant. All centres have disabled access and facilities and offer services to children irrespective of (dis)ability and gender.
PalestineConnect is a small grassroots charity that operates community-led centres in the Gaza Strip. These computer-aided learning centres provide disadvantaged Palestinian children and young adults with a safe and relaxed environment in which to undertake a range of IT-related courses – that compliment the UNRWA schooling system and are vocationally relevant. All centres have disabled access and facilities and offer services to children irrespective of (dis)ability and gender.