Image by Daniel Nienhuis
Film Review: Flying Paper
By Aisha Gani
The silhouette of a child flying a homemade kite while running down a sandy path in the soft glow of the sun, and the voice of a young woman narrating a poem in Arabic sets the tone of this uplifting documentary. Flying Paper follows the journey of Palestinian children in the Gaza strip attempting to break the world record for the most kites flown. Directed by Nitin Sawhney and Roger Hill, the film documents the Gazan kite culture and projects the voice of Gazans who, despite being amongst the most affected by the conflict between Palestine and Israel, frequently go unheard.
Musa, the charismatic 13 year old protagonist, starts preparing for the kite festival and constructs a kite on the dusty ground using newspaper and a flour glue concoction, under the watchful eyes of his impressionable and adorable band of younger cousins.
“There are two important factors in making a kite. The first is precision. The second thing is to balance the string very carefully,” Musa says with confidence. As he launches his kite, it gets tangled in an electric pole, and he is teased by his witty younger sister Widad, who says she can make a better one. Their sibling rivalry and light-hearted banter makes the film all the more enjoyable to watch, and it humanises Gaza.
The Al Ghouls live in the village of Seifa, which is in the northern buffer zone with Israel, and the children later take their colourful kites to the beach, flying them in the backdrop of a twilight sky. Widad reflects, “When we fly kites, we feel like we’re the ones flying in the sky. We feel that we enjoy our freedom. That there is no siege on Gaza.” As she watches the kites dancing with the crescent moon she adds, “When we fly that kite, we know that freedom exists”. These philosophising youngsters are wiser beyond their years, and discuss their experience of conflict honestly and frankly.
There are several story lines throughout the film, and we are introduced to the Jabaliya refugee camp through 16 year-old Abeer, an aspiring journalist. She is the narrator and instrumental in the production team. She speaks openly about her goals including her passion for photography, but also the possible challenges she faces in pursuing her career. Through the children’s eyes we are shown the struggles that Gazans face daily, whether it is attending school, fishing, dealing with broken shoes, or the lingering fear of missiles and military vehicles passing by.
Much of the documentary is filmed in the glow of the late afternoon sun, which adds much warmth. Yet this is juxtaposed with intervals of dark animation, which is used as a vehicle to represent the entrapment and dangerous reality of living in Gaza. The childlike crayon drawings and eerie soundtrack make it more ominous, and we follow the journey of a resilient kite that encounters and escapes several traumatic obstacles, including four grey walls slowly imprisoning it and coming across a sea monster. This is a heart-warming and hopeful documentary, but these segments remind us that there are watchtowers, checkpoints and military jeeps around the corner.
The day of the kite festival arrives. We see close up shots of the children with cheeky smiles and bright eyes on the coach to Waha Beach, lining up in the sand with their kites in hand, the Mediterranean Sea and blue summer sky. Meanwhile, Musa has been working on a bigger and better kite, even attaching a camera to film the event from the heavens, encapsulating his determination. Over 7000 children are on the beach as they try and break the world record of kite flying. Musa looks up at all the fluttering kites above and says, “Is there anything better, than seeing something this beautiful?”
This is an important film with stunning cinematography and the fact children are central to the narrative and production of this film make it all the more special. The playful yet reflective spirit of Musa, Widad, Abeer and the other children of Gaza in this film leaves the viewer with a feeling of bittersweet. Much of what we hear and see on the news about Gaza is that it is a warzone, so this is a unique film, and a rare opportunity to see life in blockaded Gaza through the eyes and beating spirits of the children of Gaza. Ultimately Flying Paper leaves you smiling with hope.
Flying Paper premiered at the 2013 London Palestine Film Festival
