With an ambitious goal of bringing cutting-edge entertainment and good will to the West Bank, German filmmaker Marcus Vetter has teamed with international sponsors, including global 3D leader XpanD, to renovate and reopen the sole-standing cinema complex in the city of Jenin. The project is inspired by Vetter’s documentary, offering the war-torn area an entertainment venue that hasn’t opened its doors since the 1980s.
Cinema Jenin will be reintroduced to the public with a film festival August 5-7, 2010, with the premiere of Vetter’s film, The Heart of Jenin, which recounts the story of a Palestinian man’s decision to donate his 12-year-old’s organs to Israeli children after an Israeli soldier accidentally shot the boy. The reopening also includes a new state-of-the-art 3D system, donated by XpanD, which will be unveiled at the festival and utilized for feature films on a regular basis.
Approached by cinematic industry partner Carsten Schuffert of Bewegte Bilder Digital Cinema in October 2008, XpanD, without hesitation, donated on of its top-of-the-line system to Project Cinema Jenin. XpanD CEO Maria Costeira believes whole-heartily that contributing to the reinvention of this once highly valued cinema would bring a new aspect of hope, entertainment and positive thinking to the West Bank territory.
“The story of this heartwarming decision shines a humanizing light on the tension in the Middle East and the shadow this conflict is casting on the innocent bystanders in the area,” stated Costeira. “The arts, especially cinema, are universally appealing to all cultures as they provide a window to catch a glimpse at some of these rarely seen aspects of the area’s day-to-day situations. It is XpanD’s hope that with Jenin’s addition of a 3D cinema, locals will have an opportunity to enjoy beautiful films, taking the constant, uneasy thought of war out of their minds for a few hours at a time.”
The complete XpanD system installed in Cinema Jenin includes: 500 pairs of X101 active 3D glasses, two infrared emitters, a synchronization distribution module, active glasses infrared tester, power supplies and a complete hardware set including the wiring, connections and cables, etc.
“Today, 3D is a game-changing technology that allows the world to express itself in a completely original way,” said Ami Dror, Chief Strategy Officer, XpanD. “Cinema Jenin is using 3D entertainment to bring about a social movement; it’s a chance to really improve the livelihood of the people in the surrounding area by showing the inspirational story behind Vetter’s film. It will truly inspire the masses.”
For more information about Project Cinema Jenin, please visit
www.cinemajenin.org.
For more information on XpanD, please visit
www.xpandcinema.com.
