Yahoo Sports 2024 Hot Docs 'Life is Beautiful': Mohamed Jabaly provides a 'light' to understand the lives of Palestinians
"I feel that I'm forced, again, to tell another story from war," filmmaker Mohamed Jabaly said
When Palestinian filmmaker Mohamed Jabaly made his 2016 film Ambulance, about his experience joining an ambulance crew during the war in Gaza in 2014, he hoped that would be his last film about war. But now with Life Is Beautiful, screening as part of the Hot Docs Festival in Toronto in 2024, that unfortunately is not the reality for this filmmaker.
"I really was hoping that Ambulance would be my last film about war," Jabaly told Yahoo Canada. "But I feel that I'm forced, again, to tell another story from war."
Life Is Beautiful actually begins with Jabaly's film Ambulance, specifically while the filmmaker travelled to a film festival in Tromsø, Norway. While the trip was only supposed to be a week, the Rafah Border Crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip closed. That left Jabaly unable to get back to Palestine and it would be seven years until he saw his family again.
Throughout the film we're guided through Jabaly's experience of being rejected for a work permit, specifically linked to the fact that his work as a filmmaker isn't recognized without a degree. While many encouraged him to seek asylum to stay in Norway, Jabaly also didn't want to give up his Palestinian identity.
'It gives a light for people who don't know much about our lives'
In terms of audiences watching this film amid the current Israel-Hamas war, Jabaly stated it's "very important" for him to show the film now.
"It contributes a bit to our Palestinian life struggle," Jabaly explained. "It's a story told from the diaspora, how [it is] to be a Palestinian living outside of Palestine, and it brings you back also to our reality."
"It gives a light for people who don't know much about our lives. ... It's important for me to feel that I'm also doing something to give more understanding of our lives. ... It's very special for me to be able to do this, even though it's the time that we live in."
'I became kind of the centre of my story'
A core element of Life Is Beautiful is that Jabaly is able to tell the story for himself, from his perspective. A Palestinian filmmaker telling the world a story about the reality for Palestinian people.
"It's just how it should be," Jabaly said. "When it comes to Palestinians making films about Palestine, I think that's much more important to hear."
"It's important to hear the Palestinians themselves, how they tell their story. And that's mainly what we need actually. We need more filmmakers. Unfortunately, [I lost many friends] over the last seven months. ... We lost already so many filmmakers, so many great cinematographers. Actually, including my closest friend Abood [Saymah] who was helping me to shoot the film. He helped me to film the last scene of the film in Gaza. So I still can't believe that even the closest person to me, I lost during this ongoing war."
In terms of what prompted him to document his own story, Jabaly said he felt it was particularly important when the situation became "more brutal."
"When you film something you don't know what to expect. It's not fiction, it's reality," Jabaly said. "I became kind of the centre of my story."
"It wasn't an easy journey and I feel this is why I needed to tell what I lived [through]. ... You stand for your voice and you keep insisting on life and the hope of existence, and finding new ways to make the world understand our reality."
I still can't believe that even the closest person to me, I lost during this ongoing war.
'At least people will say I'm going to see Life Is Beautiful'
But throughout the documentation of Jabaly's journey, trying to figure out if he can stay in Norway and if he can go back to Palestine, the film features a strong message on the importance of solidarity.
"This is how I saw society, trying to help, support," Jabaly said. "Nobody will agree [with] injustice."
"If you have close friends who see the injustice that you live with, then everybody will do their best to support you. That for me was a very important moment in my life, when I needed the support and help, and of course I needed to ask for it. ... This film also shows how societies stick together in solidarity for something."
In calling the film Life is Beautiful, Jabaly hopes to leave his audience with a positive message.
"We talk about over 34,000 people [killed in Gaza], half of them are children, how many memories can they erase?" Jabaly said. "As long as we breathe, we will keep telling and keep sharing our stories and human struggle."
"It's always good to spread something positive, even when everything surrounding you is negative. At least people will say 'I'm going to see Life Is Beautiful.'"
