‘Palestine Stereo’ questions immigration, life under occupation in Cinema Club screening

The student-led Cinema Club in the Deanship of Student Affairs at Birzeit University will hold a screening of “Palestine Stereo,” a 2013 Palestinian drama film that highlights the arduousness and tragedy of living under occupation, on Thursday, February 24, 2019. 

Following the quest of the two main characters, Stereo and his brother Sami, who aim to raise $10,000 and move to Canada, the film probes the dilemma posed by the decision whether to emigrate or to stay and experience the difficulties of trying to survive under occupation. 

After an Israeli airstrike destroys Stereo’s apartment, kills his wife, and renders his brother both mute and deaf, the duo embarks on a mission to raise enough money to emigrate to Canada. No longer able to sing at weddings after the airstrike, Stereo drives a decommissioned ambulance to provide sound services for weddings, marches, and political speeches − the irony is not lost on the viewer when almost all speeches consist of repeated slogans and catchphrases. 

This will be the Cinema Club’s third screening of “Palestine Stereo” and the sixth film presented in the 2018/2019 academic year.