Miral: A Palestinian/Israeli Dialogue On and Off Screen
Report of the Panel Discussion
Introductory Remarks by Rula Jebreal
As an introduction to the film, Rula Jebreal reflected on what drove her to write her story: the necessity of providing a voice to victims of violence and injustice who have been silenced. Above all, Miral is a story about having a voice, something she and so many Palestinians have been denied for years. She argued that the ability to vocalize and to communicate one's experience to others is a way of recognizing and confirming one's own individual identity. The recent remark by Republican presidential candidate, Newt Gingrich, that the Palestinians are an “invented” people, has made it all the more evident to her that hope, and ultimately peace between Israelis and Palestinians, can only be achieved through recognition and acknowledgement of the issue. 2 Miral serves as an affirmation that everyone, no matter who they are or where they come from, deserves to have a voice and to tell their own story.
Unfortunately, Ms. Jebreal lamented, there is little room to appreciate the humanity of her story when there is so much hate in the world. Many people have found it very difficult to see beyond the divisive politics and cynicism of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict when watching this film, and to understand Miral instead as the story of one girl’s experience and as a cry for peace. Before beginning the screening, she expressed the wish that her film would give hope to little boys and girls in the Middle East.
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