Muslim Racism and Discrimination Against
Black Bedouins
The community
of black Bedouins ("Afro-Bedouins") in the desert town of
The Film Class
was created in Rahat in 2005-06 as part of a
filmmaking workshop for black Bedouin women taught by director Uri Rosenwaks. While working with these women, teaching them
the principles of cinematography, their daily confrontation with the harsh
racism and the repressed historical origins of their discrimination are
unveiled. As part of their course work, the women documented their activity
through the instruction and in collaboration with Rosenwaks
and his colleague, Magid Kamalat
(director of the Step Forward NGO in Rahat). They
gathered information, researched, filmed, and interviewed family members, the
community elders, and representatives of the public. During the work on the film, the women even travelled on a roots
journey to Africa, a quest whose documentation—as well as its exposure to the
public at large and the Bedouin community in particular— became
a scathing, seminal document about the persistence of customs and prejudice
regarding skin color and country of origin. Concurrently, it was also a personal
pilgrimage for each woman and an empowering voyage that influenced their status
in the community with the aid of the visual tool.
The film
received first prize in the Israeli Documentary Film competition (2007), and
participated in many festivals the world over. Following its success, funds
were raised to purchase professional equipment to expand the film class in Rahat.
Produced
with the support of
The New Foundation for Cinema & TV
Channel 10,