On Monday, the film “Handala” was screened at Goshen College. Adam Beach, the director, and Peder Wiegner, the executive producer, visited the college to introduce and answer any questions about the film or the current situation in Palestine.
Wiegner graduated from Eastern University in 2008, with a concentration in political science, while Beach is currently a senior at Eastern with a focus on Middle Eastern studies, specifically Palestine. The film was an effort to bring two intrinsically different stories together to portray a paradox of tremendous hope and desolation.The screening was sponsored by both the P.A.X. club and the P.J.C.S. department. Nearly 50 people turned out for the screening.
“I was very pleased with the turnout, and most importantly, with the interest in the situation,” Wiegner said. “Coupled with this comment, the questions after the viewing of the film were excellent.”
Students also had positive feedback about the experience.
“It was a very informative film on the Palestinian and Israeli conflict,” said Matt Harms, a senior. “Especially, I never thought of this conflict as an ethnic cleansing until this film.”
In particular, the topic of the film impacted many viewers.
“It was moving, casting new light on a conflict frequently downplayed or distorted by our media,” said Noah Weaverdyck, a sophomore.
For more information about the film, visit Wiegner and Beach’s Web site at www.yallahyallahyallah.blogspot.com.
