FILMMAKER HAZIM BITAR PUTS FINAL TOUCHES ON FEATURE
DOCUMENTARY ABOUT PALESTINIAN DIASPORA

July 8, 2008

Thyme is an aromatic herb which thrives even in the harshest of environments. In Arabic, it's called Za'tar and it's commonly used in Palestinian dishes. Thyme has become a symbol of Palestinian perseverance and survival in the wilderness of their Diaspora.

Filmmaker Hazim Bitar's feature documentary is a personal journey into the underground culture of a refugee camp to explore how culture in the Diaspora survives. From the ghettoes of refugee camps, Palestinian folklore serves as the umbilical cord to the motherland, nurturing the yearning for the Return.

In one of these camps the Palestinian foot dance, the Dabkeh, thrives amongst members of a Palestinian African Bedouin tribe. To them, Debkeh is about resistance and life. It's about entertainment and identity. It's about making a living and it's about living.

The many styles of Debkeh mastered by this Palestinian tribe reflect the diverse origins of this art in many Palestinian villages and towns in the bosom of the Levant. And just as Thyme flourishes amidst neglect and unforgiving conditions, Palestinian Debkeh resists the oppressiveness of exile to serve as an emotional compass for a scattered tribe united by a common experience, narrative, and art.

Title: Thyme goes on
Director & Producer: Hazim Bitar
Release Date: August 2008
Length: 60 min
Genre: Documentary
Contact: www.Alif.com | ArabFilmmakers@gmail.com | 00962776400434

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