Kickstarter

MOHAMMED, MYSELF, AND THE WHOLE X GAMES TEAM WISHES YOU A WONDERFUL NEW YEAR!

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I am still in Palestine filming and will return mid-January.

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If you have not been following our updates on Facebook (which we encourage: facebook.com/qalqilyathefilm), a lot has happened in the past two months - including an article about us in Variety Arabia.

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Production has been going well and we are wrapping up the ending of the film. During my time here I have witnessed the effects of the Gaza conflict and the Palestinian movement for statehood status at the UN. Both of these events affected Palestinians in the West Bank - and not necessarily positively. I have seen an increase in checkpoints and aggressive tactics by the Israeli military. Israel has moved forward with another campaign for Settlements and has withheld millions of dollars in taxes owed to the Palestinian Authority. As a result, it has been months since the Palestinian Authority has been able to pay its employees. That includes two of Mohammed's brothers. The response here when you talk to Palestinians: "Its normal" (or 3adi in Arabic)

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On the lighter side, Mohammed and I made a trip to the Dubai Film Festival - which could not have happened without the support of one of the film programmers who has reached out to us for the past year and sponsored Mohammed's visa. We made some incredible connections for the film and began a relationship with an art and cultural center in Dubai called Tashkeel. They have a skatepark. So, we returned back to Palestine with boards and t shirts donated by Tashkeel (see photo below). We look forward to continuing our relationship with them. Sajed and the team have already been building the boards and they are already hitting the streets in Qalqilya. Tashkeel has lit a much needed spark here.

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As for the next step of the film, we are getting ready for planning post production. We are excited about 2013 and look forward to sending it to festivals by the end of the year.

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Thank you for all your support! We could not have gone this far without your help.

Adam

LATEST INTERVIEW

Check out the recent interview about the film in Variety's Middle East edition, Variety Arabia!

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OTHER NEWS

We are back on schedule now that the Gaza crisis has been defused. Hopefully it will remain that way. Our hearts go out to everyone that has suffered. However, we are very concerned about all the Palestinians in Gaza that have suffered incredibly.

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The Dubai International Film Festival sponsored Mohammed's visa for our trip to Dubai! This is incredible news since Palestinians are not able to travel to Dubai with a Palestinian passport. Thank you DIFF!

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Mohammed and I arrive in Dubai December 8th and return back to Palestine on the 17th to continue filming. We are really looking forward to making connections at the festival and also meeting one of our most generous Kickstarter backers is Dubai!

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Palestinian musician and composer, Tareq Abboushi, came to Qalqilya yesterday to meet the X Games in anticipation for collaboration on the film.

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Last week we met and interviewed the recently re-elected Mayor of Qalqilya and discussed strategies about building a skatepark. We thank the Mayor for his support and continuing interest in this project.

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Visit our Facebook page where we post updates about the production several times a week!

My partner Mohammed and I are safe in the West Bank. I know a lot of people are concerned because of what is happening in Gaza and Israel. It is a very sad time for us and a challenge to continue with our schedule while a lot of people of being killed. I am a guest and it is painful for me, but for Mohammed, this is very personal. Yet we are moving forward with our story and are prepared to adapt as the destruction of Gaza has a very big impact on everyone in Palestine.

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What I can offer right now is a window into our work as we navigate the increase in tensions and checkpoints in the West Bank. 

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On Wednesday we were following the X Games in a parade for the National Week for the Youth. However we were unable to leave Qalqilya because over a dozen Israeli military vehicles, dozens of armed soldiers and a wall of barbed wire prevented us from leaving. On one side was a fully armed platoon, and on the other were kids with bicycles, skates and running shoes - all accompanied by teachers, firemen, ministers and a governor. So the X Games responded with their own form of resistance. Check out the photo below.

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We did not understand the context of the blockade until we discovered the news about the assassination in Gaza afterwards. I do not support violence of any kind and wish for peace right now. But the imbalance of power here and in Gaza is absolutely staggering. People should understand this first hand before they use words like defense and security to justify the occupation, humiliation and destruction of an entire people.

Thank you for all your support - WE DID IT! I am so moved by everyone who participated in both our campaigns - and all the people who have helped spread the word. This film could not have been made with out you.

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I am reporting from Qalqilya, where we just wrapped up an interview with the X Games team from Sajed's brand new salon. There are a lot of changes happening over here, and we have a lot of ground to cover. 

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Mohammad and I are working on heading over to Dubai next month for the Dubai International Film Festival - where we are excited to make some introductions. In the meantime, Electronic Intifada just wrote a post about my work - including the film. 

http://electronicintifada.net/blogs/maureen-clare-murphy/watch-unexpected-sensations-palestine-interrupted-video-installation-adam

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You can stay tuned to all the details of the production by heading over to our Facebook page: facebook.com/qalqilyathefilm

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Thank you for joining our adventure, and I will be in touch soon!

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Adam