Women under Siege is a most relevant film and has already been the subject of considerable controversy ... Fernea and Gaunt are to be highly complimented for their productions. B. Aswad
26 minutes Colour 1982
Film-makers: Marilyn Gaunt and Elizabeth Fernea
Rashadiyah, a town in southern Lebanon six miles from the Israeli border, presents a picture of tranquility and violence. In 1964 the town became a camp for 14,000 Palestinian refugees, but in 1978 it was destroyed by the Israelis. The camp regrouped and at the time of filming numbered 9,000 people.
The title of the film is appropriate. The interviews with the people express the tension of living in a place that is constantly under seige, where every plan is transitory. One of the women interviewed, Ohraghado, is one of the political leaders of the camp who supervises the four kindergartens. In these schools, the children are taught more than reading, writing and maths: in one moving scene we see them chanting, sweet-faced, for the revolution. The film also covers several other women of the camp, all of whom say that they are not refugees, who discuss their role and commitment to the revolution. Everyone interviewed is determined that they will live nowhere but the camp or Palestine.
Yet, many of the younger people have never seen Palestine; for them it has become a legend of prosperity and hope. Also, the position of the women has changed in recent years, as interviews with the older women make clear. They now have a choice in marriage, and in their clothing. The women are shown learning how to use rifles, and a commando says that a marriage will be secondary to her commitment to the revolution. We would like to see the women who are not the leaders, to hear the opinions of a woman at home, but the interviews that the film-makers were able to get are revealing. A few men are interviewed, one who says that `girls' waste their time and another who says they are vital since they keep order.-
Throughout the film, the commitment to the revolution is omnipresent, a creed from birth to death, from generation to generation. One year after the film was shot, Israeli forces overran Rashadiyah and the fate of most of the people we see in the film is unknown. This is a powerful and thought-provoking film. Elizabeth Fernea has also produced a study guide, giving historical and ethnographic background information for those who would wish to use this film for the classroom. This study guide is available from: Elizabeth Fernea, Center for Middle Eastern Studies, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712-1193, USA. Catalogue number (16mm): 3RA126 £9.
S. Antonius, 1979. `Fighting on Two Fronts: Conversations with Palestinian Women'. Journal of Palestine Studies, Vol. 8, No. 3, pp. 26-45
B. Aswad, 1985. Review of the film. American Anthropologist, Vol. 87, pp. 233-35.
E. Fernea, 1982. A Study Guide to the Film `Women Under Siege.' University of Texas Film Library, Austin.
E. Fernea and R. Fernea, 1987. The Arab World. Anchor Press, New York.
D. Hirst, 1977. The Gun and the Olive Branch. Harcourt, Brace, Jovanovich, New York.
S. Mansour, 1977. `The Sense of Identity among Palestinian Youth: Male and Female Differentials'. Journal of Palestine Studies, Vol. 6, No. 4, pp. 71-89
R. Sayigh, 1979. Palestinians: From Peasants to Revolutionaries. Zed Press, London.If you are interested in hiring or purchasing this film please contact the This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
