RAMALLAH, 29 Oct (JMCC) - Israeli soldiers blocked Palestinian children from attending a children's film festival in
Tel Aviv and watching their own acting in a Children Make Movies project about inter-cultural understanding in Palestine and
Israel. The group was delayed long enough to miss their showtime, and returned to their village Umm al-Hir.
An Army spokesman said a mother without identification was denied entry at the Meitar checkpoint for fear the woman was not the baby's mother and that this was an attempt to smuggle children.
Galacticus, the movie they made together with children from Kibbutz Harel, describes what happens when the two communities' children are about to meet for a soccer game that they will play in mixed groups. Yoav, the kibbutz team's captain, does not want to play with the Umm al-Hir children. And Nimer, the captain of the rival team, is forbidden by his father to play soccer because the practices interfere with his schoolwork.
It was supposed to be a moving moment for the children, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, said director Sivan Stavi. It was missed because of nonsense and it's a pity. The children are terribly broken up about it.
Mifalot spokesman Ran Aharan said, We're a social organization, not a political one. This is a beautiful project, an opportunity to work together. We'll see to it that the children from Kibbutz Harel come to a screening in Umm al-Hir in the coming weeks.
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