Uncle, Give Me a Cigarette

Uncle, Give Me a Cigarette / عمي اعطيني سيجارة (Ammi, aʿtini sijarah)

By Basel Nasr (Union of Palestinian Women’s Committees / UPWC, Animation Factory)

2023, Palestine, 4’50min

Awaiting a prison transfer, Walid receives a strange request in a mysterious whisper … The film draws inspiration from the story of Walid Daqqa, who resisted for 27 years in Israeli occupation prisons. The film tells of a crucial moment in Daqqa’s life, the meeting with a child (of no more than 12 years old), who makes an unusual request: a cigarette. As Daqqa faces a moment of hesitation, the narrative takes a compelling turn, showing the complexity of life within prison walls. The film was created through collaborative efforts during the workshop supervised by the by the graphic studio Al Masna in collaboration with the Union of Palestinian Women’s Committees.

Language: Arabic

Recommended for children under 14 years of age: Yes

Technique: Puppet film

Team:

Participants, the Students of the Palestinian Women’s Committee Union: Rital Wajdi, Kinda Alaa, Jouan Wajdi, Karmel Alaa, Lamis Alaa, Rama Hamed, Hala Samara, Maram Zahran, Arjwan Al-Khalidi, Lian Tlaib, Abrar Zahran, Karmel Khawaja, Ruaa Assi, Maysa Zahran

Trainers: Aya Amouri, Yasmina Khalil, Nermin Nayfeh, Joua Rifai

Supervision: Tahrir Jaber (Executive Director of the Palestinian Women’s Committee Union), Badira Jarradat (Coordinator of the Palestinian Women’s Committee Union)

Editing and Sound Compilation: Mohammed Hamad Bishara, Aya Amouri, Yasmina Khalil, Dhirar Abu Quteish, Ziad Nasr, Hafez Omar

Special Thanks: Sana Daqqa, Hafez Omar

Stills:

About Basel Nasr

Basel Nasr is a Designer and Producer working in the field of Animation, Illustration and interactive design. Nasr earned a BSc in Architecture from Birzeit University In 2003. In 2005 Along with a group of young artists, Nasr established ZAN Studio; a multi-discipline art studio specialized in digital art and new media, working on a range of Animation, Interactive and Visual Art projects. In 2008 he received a scholarship from HQSF to pursue his Master’s degree in Animation from the University of California Los Angeles. During his study, Nasr also had the chance to work in two companies as an Interactive Designer for tablet and online children content. After his return to Palestine in 2013, Nasr founded maṣna‘ al rusūm al mutaḥarrikah, an Animation and Interactive Studio.

Basel Nasr is one of our 2022 AFIELD fellows, based in Ramallah, Palestine. Animator, producer and trainer, Basel Nasr founded the initiative “Almasna : The Animation Factory”, in 2015 as a collaborative studio that uses animation to tell stories inspired by daily life, and create videos that help raise awareness about local issues calling for political and social change. In 2022, they also established “The Almasna Workshop”, a space for learning, experimentation and training in the field of animation. Their aim is to promote animation as an ever-evolving art form, and to help develop this art into an industry in Palestine.

Find out more: https://afield.org/person/basel-nasr/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRUvdj3v9I0