More than a year after their homes were destroyed during the battle between the Lebanese army and the militant Islamist group Fatah al-Islam, the majority of the Palestinian refugees from the Nahr al-Bared camp in northern Lebanon find themselves in a difficult situation. Not able to return to their homes, stuck in pre-fabricated housing units and mostly unemployed, many feel frustrated and hopeless that things will improve.
Being subjected to aid organizations and external political decisions, many refugees have started to criticize the humanitarization of their political problem and voice opposition to the politics of the humanitarian aid coming into the camp.
Nahr al-Bared Camp: Transitions - Part 1
Nahr al-Bared Camp: Transitions - Part 2
The Lebanese army has been keeping a tight grip on the camp and the 20.000 displaced Palestinians that have returned so far. "checkpoints and more", a recent 30-minute video by a-films documents the consequences of the military siege on Nahr al-Bared since 2007.
a-films is an anarchist film collective currently focusing its work on the destroyed Nahr al-Bared refugee camp in northern Lebanon. Through workshops, the group aims to promote filmmaking as a tool for political struggles. The above video is available for downloading in high quality and translated into multiple languages at the a-films website.
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