Maynooth Film for All: Lemon Tree
Screening: Lemon Tree
When: Wednesday 4th November 2009
Where: JHL2 John Hume Building, North Campus, NUI Maynooth
Time: 7.45pm
An Israeli film, The Lemon Tree set on the border between Israel and the West Bank, is Maynooth Film For All, Film Clubs’ next screening on Wednesday next 4th November.
The film tells the story of Salma, a Palestinian widow, who enters into a dispute with her new neighbour - the Israeli Defense Minister! His new house is situated opposite her lemon grove, on the green line border between Israel and the West Bank. The Israeli security forces are quick to declare that the lemon trees pose a threat to the Minister's safety and issue orders to uproot them.
Together with her young Palestinian lawyer, Salma goes all the way to the Israeli Supreme Court to try to save her trees. Her struggle raises the interest of Mira Navon, the Defense minister's wife, who is trapped in her new home and in an unhappy life. Despite their differences and the borders between them the two women develop an invisible bond. Salma's legal and personal journey leads her deep into the complex, dark, and sometimes funny chaos of the ongoing struggle in the Middle East, in which all players find themselves alone in their struggle to survive.
The rare ability to make intelligent, entertaining cinema from hot-button current issues is beautifully illustrated by Lemon Tree, and its director Eran Riklis. This is an effective film about how war can affect ordinary people. Aside from the odd false note, it’s a gentle and bittersweet film, subtle and even-handed, with no preachiness or sentimentality.
The film won the respected Audience Award at the influential Berlin Film Festival in 2008. Read actress Hiam Abbass (who plays Salma) interview with the Irish Time’s Donald Clarke
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/theticket/2008/1128/1227739045484.html
Movies are screened in JHL2 lecture hall in the John Hume building, North Campus, NUIM. The programme starts at 7.45pm with an introduction from Dr Denis Condon. The featured film then begins at 8.00pm.
Membership is open to all over 18yrs. and costs €30.00 for the rest of the season. There is no joining fee for students just pay per view of €2.00 per night. Membership and subscriptions available on the night or drop into Maynooth Community Library, Tel: 01 6285530. For full programme, joining and membership details for Maynooth Film for all Film Club log onto http://www.kildare.ie/artsservice/.
Maynooth Film for All: Film Club is supported by Kildare County Council Library & Arts Service and The School of English, Media and Theatre Studies NUIM.
