| PALESTINE |
| FORD TRANSIT |
Hany Abu-Assad |
“Palestinians are like ants. They’d
get around any road block,” observes Rajai, the charismatic
and philosophical star of this spirited film. Rajai should
know: he has become an expert at ferrying passengers between
Israeli-controlled checkpoints in his Ford Transit, a former
Israeli police vehicle. Inside Rajai’s van a cross-section
of society holds forth on everything from suicide bombers
to George Bush’s speech-making. “They should give
a warning for heart patients before he appears,” moans
one passenger. Abu-Assad’s film, astutely observed and
seamlessly dramatised, shows the reality and the daily frustrations
of living in this much-conflicted land. “Sorrowful,
uproarious, clever, alarming and argumentative by turns, Ford
Transit is a first-rate movie—one of those rare documentaries
that seem to grasp a situation effortlessly, and as a whole.”—Stuart
Klawans, The Nation. (80 mins) Spirit of Freedom Award, Jerusalem
Film Festival.
Filmography: To Whom It May Concern (91); Paper House (92);
Nazareth 2000 (00); Rana’s Wedding [Jerusalem, Another
Day] (02).
SHOWTIMES: 2/26, 6:30pm B1 and
2/28, 5:15pm B2. |
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