This morning, at the Al-Hakawati Theatre, in East Jerusalem, "Walled Horizons" received its Jerusalem premiere. The film looks at the humanitarian impact of the West Bank Wall, and is narrated by, and features, Roger Waters, who visits the Wall and comments on his observations (see picture, right). The film also features Palestinians affected by the Wall and three Israeli senior security officials, two of whom were directly responsible for planning its route and explain the Israeli position for constructing the Wall.
The date was chosen as it marks the first World Humanitarian Day along with the fifth anniversary of the International Court of Justice Advisory Opinion on the Wall.
Roger is featured in the opening shot of the 15-minute documentary walking beside a concrete section of the barrier, upon which is painted a giant lying on its back.
"The reason for walls is always fear, whether the personal walls that we build around ourselves or walls like this that frightened governments build around themselves", Roger explains. "They are always expressions of a deep-seated insecurity.
"It fills me with horror, the thought of living in a giant prison," Waters continues, as the camera watches him spray-painting "We don't need no thought control" on the separation wall.
Speaking to the Associated Press on his last visit to the area, back in June (full report here), he said he hoped that "this awful thing is destroyed soon."
"People who haven't actually seen this, what's going on here, can't actually imagine the impression that it has on you, the sick, kind of churning feeling that you get in your very heart when you see this, how depressing it is," Waters said. He promised that if it does come down one day, he'll perform at the site, as he did in Berlin 1990 where that wall had fallen. "In fact, I would insist on it," he said.
We're hoping to bring you the complete film, online, shortly.
|