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In the first dramatic work that tells the story of Nablus... Palestinian creators revive the Buraq Revolution
“Umm al-Yasmine” is a series by Palestinian director Bashar al-Najjar, and its events revolve around the city of Nablus between the years 1929 and 1935, starting from the Buraq Revolution in Jerusalem, and reviewing the Nablus social and cultural environment and the city’s customs, traditions, food, and distinctive accent.
Wearing his old military uniform, consistent with the event in its time, place, and nature, the Palestinian artist Amjad Ghanem excelled as he played his role as an English officer heading a police station, in a representative scene in the series “Umm al-Yasmeen,” which is in its final stages of filming, to be the first dramatic work of art about the city of Nablus.
In a house belonging to the ancient Al-Amad family in Nablus, which is one of 8 families featured in the series, Ghanem and the “Umm Al-Yasmeen” team are racing against time to complete the series, which spans 29 episodes and lasts 35 minutes per episode.
The series is directed by the Palestinian Bashar al-Najjar, and its events revolve around the city of Nablus between the years 1929 and 1935, starting from the Buraq Revolution in Jerusalem, and reviewing the Nablus social and cultural environment, the city’s customs, traditions, food, and its distinctive accent.
The series is concerned with the revolutionary struggle of Nablus as an integral part of the Palestinian resistance society, and stops at the beginning of the events of the Palestinian Revolution in 1936 in preparation for a second part, which is being prepared and ends with the Palestinian Nakba in 1948, and how Nablus contributed to receiving the displaced and opening its offices, mosques and public baths to them.
He set off from Jerusalem and told Nablus
The name “Umm al-Yasmine” was chosen to dedicate a new title to the city, which is also called “Mountain of Fire” and “Little Damascus,” in addition to the fact that al-Yasmine is one of the six neighborhoods of its old town, which embraced, with the scent of its jasmine, the fragrance of the past and its revolution.
Many details came together in “Umm al-Yasmeen” to present a real, credible Nablus environment, in the first dramatic work that directly affects a Palestinian city, and whose events are sequenced around a specific story. The texts were chosen from books and the narration transmitted with precision and craftsmanship, and that craftsmanship was reflected in the text on the entire work team, including actors. And photographers and production crew.
But why did you make Jerusalem a gateway to the series that reviews Nablus and its story? Director Bashar al-Najjar answers - to Al Jazeera Net - that, “The Buraq Revolution is a pivotal event in the history of the Palestinian issue, and this coincided with an important event that Nablus is experiencing, which is the commemoration of the Prophet’s birthday, which turned into widespread support for Jerusalem. Nablus was the first Palestinian city to protest the Balfour Declaration and the execution of the three revolutionaries.” : Fouad Hijazi, Atta Al-Zeer, and Muhammad Jamjoom, and declared mourning, closed its central market, and raised black flags above its shops.”
Individual production
The importance and strength of the work, in addition to its subject and the interesting narrative of its events, lies in its crew of 83 people, including 56 artists, and hundreds of secondary participants (extras), in addition to the filming location and its crew, which was reflected in the quality of the image and the strength of the production.
All of this is in front of an “individual production” of the series, according to Al-Najjar, who was forced to sell his vehicle to start work. He says that the employers faced great financial scarcity, so no party embraced the project, and the broadcasting party that will show the work has not yet been decided.
Al-Najjar - who began his directing career in 2013 and produced several works, “Sons of Al-Mukhtar”, “Kafr Al-Lawz” and “Al-Aghrab” - believes that the financial challenges were not the only problem facing those in charge of the work, pointing to the Israeli incitement and the events in the West Bank that endangered the lives of the artists. During work and during their commute, in addition to long working hours and the dispersal of filming locations due to the inability to build a single place for it, filming focused more on Nablus, its old town, and the village of Abwein near the city of Ramallah in the West Bank.
“Umm al-Yasmine” blocks and besieges all suspicious and normalized non-Palestinian works with conditional funding, and those in charge of the work, who refused to be dependent on any agendas, say that they have artists who carry a national belief and translate it into reality with work that consolidates the Palestinian truth and confronts the Israeli narrative.
Ignore and neglect
Director Al-Najjar says that he suffered from financial scarcity and faced great difficulties in producing the series, and that the indifference of various parties to the artistic work is a reason for the absence of strong Palestinian dramatic works.
He adds, "As artists and directors, they are constantly evolving," and that what remains in place are productive ideas and culture. He refuses to describe his series as a "local production," and considers that an "abuse." He says, "Umm al-Yasmine is an Arab-level production, and we have competencies that compete with Arab stars." .
This is confirmed by Younes Hassasna, the executive producer of the series, who ventured with his latest equipment to produce a distinctive work because of his belief in the idea and its importance to Palestinians in all its dimensions, historically and politically.
Despite his production of many works, Al-Hasasneh has not seen a dramatic work as strong as “Umm al-Yasmine,” and he tells Al Jazeera Net, “It is a strong start for Palestinian drama again.” He adds that the work team coming from most of the West Bank cities is working as a beehive to make it a success, as filming is proceeding in parallel with montage. This lasts between 15 and 36 hours sometimes.
Nablus is bigger than a series
Although the series embodies a purely Nablus environment, and its story tells of the events of the city with its history, civilization and culture, Palestinian artist Osama Malhas says that Nablus “is not summed up by a series,” and adds, “The work will surprise everyone with its strength, similarity, and the Levantine environment closest to the city.” And most importantly, adds Malhas, who plays the role of “Abu Akram.” “His wife was entrusted with the management of Sabana (Nabulsi soap factory) - the reality is very similar to what was reported in the series, indicating that they relied on trustworthy people to collect and verify information, even regarding what is related to the Nabulsi accent and its pronunciation.
Malhas believes that many dramatic works were prepared in and about Nablus. He added that the Fadwa Tuqan series, for example, talked about her as a poet and about her environment and surroundings, but it was not as powerful, content, and produced as “Umm al-Yasmine.”
It seems that “Umm al-Yasmeen” wanted Nablus to recover some of its heritage, customs, and vocabulary as a city with its struggle and cultural heritage, after it had been “marginalized” throughout history, according to Taher Bakir, the artist and writer of the story of the “Umm al-Yasmeen” series, who expresses his hope that the work will be appropriate. What's new in Nablus and its legacy of struggle and civilization.
Director Bashar Al-Najjar hopes to show his series in the month of Ramadan, despite the fact that no party has adopted it. In Al-Najjar’s opinion, this does not flaw the work, which considers that “its capital is its team, its national belief, and their intellectual freedom.” He adds that “the channel that does not want us, we do not want it, and just as it did not hinder us.” Filming will not hinder us from publishing the series.”
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