Habibi Hussein (Alex Bakri, Palestine/Germany/Saudi Arabia/Sweden, 2025), Regional Competition, 12-7 19:30, 13-7 12:30 House of Cinema H.Malyan Hall
Reopened in 2010 three decades after it was shut, Cinema Jenin in the West Bank was restored under the initiative of German filmmaker Marcus Vetter and a group of Palestinian and international volunteers.
On the surface, Alex Bakri’s Habibi Hussein documents a project that celebrates the magic of cinema. We follow the titular Hussein Darbi, a film projectionist with over 40 years of experience, as he travels across the country to gather components needed to fix up a projector. But as the film progresses, Bakri’s criticism of the cultural imperialism and exploitation inherent in the renovations comes fully into focus.
Bakri was the cinematographer of Vetter’s own inspiring documentary, Cinema Jenin: The Story of a Dream (2011). In Habibi Hussein Bakri reveals how power and competing narratives can infect a seemingly harmless peace project.
The Cinema Jenin project initially opted to source local materials whenever possible, claiming that only technical equipment would be imported from Europe. However, we repeatedly see Vetter tell the crew and press that Europeans are more advanced, and Palestinians always on the receiving end. Yet the film juxtaposes these condescending remarks with scenes that underscore the Palestinians’ diligence, slyly turning the tables on Vetter. By structuring the film such that this revelation comes after the audience has already formed a connection with the endearing Hussein, Bakri makes it impossible for viewers to ignore the blatant power imbalances.
The exploitation is most apparent with Hussein, whose efforts warrant only a vague promise to be prioritised for employment afterwards. As the man remarks, the town is “only good for strangers” and locals “can’t find their bread in it”. The asymmetries are brought to light on the cinema’s opening day, when, behind a barbed wire fence, a local watches foreigners relaxing on the premises.
Yasmine Chan
Reopened in 2010 three decades after it was shut, Cinema Jenin in the West Bank was restored under the initiative of German filmmaker Marcus Vetter and a group of Palestinian and international volunteers.
On the surface, Alex Bakri’s Habibi Hussein documents a project that celebrates the magic of cinema. We follow the titular Hussein Darbi, a film projectionist with over 40 years of experience, as he travels across the country to gather components needed to fix up a projector. But as the film progresses, Bakri’s criticism of the cultural imperialism and exploitation inherent in the renovations comes fully into focus.
Bakri was the cinematographer of Vetter’s own inspiring documentary, Cinema Jenin: The Story of a Dream (2011). In Habibi Hussein Bakri reveals how power and competing narratives can infect a seemingly harmless peace project.
The Cinema Jenin project initially opted to source local materials whenever possible, claiming that only technical equipment would be imported from Europe. However, we repeatedly see Vetter tell the crew and press that Europeans are more advanced, and Palestinians always on the receiving end. Yet the film juxtaposes these condescending remarks with scenes that underscore the Palestinians’ diligence, slyly turning the tables on Vetter. By structuring the film such that this revelation comes after the audience has already formed a connection with the endearing Hussein, Bakri makes it impossible for viewers to ignore the blatant power imbalances.
The exploitation is most apparent with Hussein, whose efforts warrant only a vague promise to be prioritised for employment afterwards. As the man remarks, the town is “only good for strangers” and locals “can’t find their bread in it”. The asymmetries are brought to light on the cinema’s opening day, when, behind a barbed wire fence, a local watches foreigners relaxing on the premises.
Yasmine Chan
