Mohammad Bakri in intensive care!!!

[mary <humdrum2 at libero.it>]

http://palestinethinktank.com/2010/04/02/mohammad-bakri-in-intensive-care-please-send-him-your-love-and-affection/

Mohammad Bakri in intensive care! Please send him your love and affection!!

By
Guest Post
• Apr 2nd, 2010 at 9:44 • Category:

Culture and Heritage,
Music, Poetry,
Events,
Newswire,
Palestine
, Somoud: Arab
Voices of Resistance

WRITTEN BY ANTOINE RAFFOUL

Dear Friends and supporters:
We received news that the great Palestinian filmmaker Mohammad Bakri was
transferred to the Rambam hospital in Haifa last night, after he suffered
a severe heart attack on 31 March 2010, and was admitted immediately to
the emergency department at the Rambam Health Care Hospital in Haifal for
immediate treatment, where his condition was described as serious but
stable. He underwent intensive examination to ascertain his condition. It
is understood that he suffered the stroke while being interviewed about
his forthcoming work for the Palestine Satellite Channel for a regular
program and a variety of workshops about the conditions inside the Green
Line. He was also preparing to work on a documentary about the life of
Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish.

Mohammad Bakri, 57 years old, is one of our greatest Palestinian
filmmakers. Born in the Palestinian village of Bi’ina in the Galilee in
1953, he went to elementary school in his hometown and received his
secondary education in the nearby city of Acre. He studied acting and
Arabic literature at Tel Aviv University in 1973 where he graduated two
years later.

Bakri began his professional acting career in plays in several theatres
in Israel and the West Bank notably the Habima theatre in Tel-Aviv, the
Haifa Theatre and Al-Kasaba Theatre in Ramallah. After a few years of
acting in Palestinian and Israeli films, Bakri began to act in
international film productions such as Costa-Gavras’ Kannah K,
Private, and most recently in the Taviani Brother’s controversial
film The Skylark's Farm (2007) about the Armenian Genocide. One of
Bakri’s most daring documentary films is “Jenin, Jenin” about
Israel’s destruction of the Palestinian camp in the West Bank in 2002.
This was followed by “Since You Left” a tribute to his mentor
Emile Habiby and a crucial account of the court case resulting from the
screening of “Jenin Jenin”. Almost all of Bakri’s films have been
influenced by the Palestininan–Israeli conflict and remain an eloquent
account of the internal struggle of the Palestinian people.

Bakri began his solo performance of the great play "The
Pessoptimist" in 1986. Since then, he had performed this play
1500 times in Arabic and Hebrew in USA, Japan, France, Italy, Germany,
Egypt, Morocco, Belgium, Denmark, Sweden, Tunis, Jordan and, of course,
in Palestine and Israel.

Against the backdrop of an illegal Israeli occupation of 4.5 million
Palestinians, and at personal risk to himself and to his family, Bakri
has been fighting alone, amongst all filmmakers, to encourage debate,
free choice, and independent artistic creativity. As one of the greatest
actors and filmmakers in Israel and Palestine today, Bakri represents the
struggle of his people to attain freedom, justice and equality. In a rare
tribute to this personal conviction, he was recently honoured with the
Free Speech Award at the Berlinale 2010 through “Panorama” which
showcases new films by established directors.

Bakri deserves our unrelenting messages of support for a speedy recovery
to enable him to get back behind his camera and to continue his struggle
for Palestine. We urge all of you to send messages of support to Mohammad
Bakri to the hospital where he is resting. 

Please email

Mohammad Bakri via Mr David Ratner, Director of External Relations at the
Hospital:

d_ratner at rambam.health.gov.il
or write to: 

Mohammadd Bakri c/o Rambam Health Care Campus 6 Ha'Aliya Street POB
9602  Haifa 31096  Israel
You can also write to Mohammad at his home address:
Mohammad Bakri P.O.Box 24 Bi'ina Village 20189 Galilee, Israel
Your wishes and your support are the cures he also needs.
Antoine Raffoul Coordinator 1948: LEST WE FORGET
www.1948.org.uk