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Based on true events, Eyes of a Thief directed by Najwa Najjar, follows the journey of a mysterious man at the height of the Palestinian Uprising, in 2002. After Tarek is being treated by local nuns, who help him escape, he's soon arrested by Israeli soldiers. Ten years later, he is released from prison and returns to his town, a place transformed by drastic changes. He sets off to find his daughter Nur. As secrets are uncovered, light is shed on the stifling nature of contemporary Palestinian society, while revealing Tareq's hidden past. The sense of moral certainty is replaced by questionable individual choices with no easy answers.

Eyes of a Thief is an important creative and artistic film, exploring the difficult aspects of the Palestinian daily life under occupation.

We talked to director Najwa Najjar about the film challenges, shooting in Palestinian territories and more.

Why did you decide to tell this story? 

Najwa Najjar: For the last 4, 5 years I started loosing hope, developed this feeling of loss in so many different levels and I was suffocating with the situation in the country.  So I started to write, specially after my father passed away, about where do you go when you have no options, what do you do? The story that came in my mind was a true story that happened in 2002. The film is named for, and was inspired by, a sniper attack that took place in Wadi al-Haramieh (Valley of the Thieves in Arabic), near Ramallah, in March 2002. A young Palestinian man from the village of Silwad, Thaer Hamad, shot 10 Israelis to death at a checkpoint while hiding in the hills. He was subsequently arrested, after telling fellow Palestinians what he had done, and is serving several life sentences.

What were the main challenges shooting in Palestine territories?

The film was shot in 25 days shooting schedule in Nablus in the West Bank, and four days in Bethlehem. It was an incredibly challenging shoot. During the 21 days in Nablus, every night there were incursions from Israelis. I remember that there was this gunfire and the crew from abroad asked us what was going on. ‘Oh, it’s just a wedding.’ We said it jokingly, but of course it’s a huge responsibility. You have to make sure everyone’s safe. We had a crew, children, an Egyptian superstar (Khaled Abol Naga), which was the first time in Palestinian Cinema that was allowed entry in the country. We also had an Algerian singer (Souad Massi) who was the main actress. 5 members of our crew were Icelandic because we had a co-production with Iceland. Besides the responsibility, you don’t know what is going to happen the next day, places get shut down, stores close arbitrarily which makes it difficult when you are on set, on a tight budget where you need to do things quickly and do it well. We also had to train 11 palestinians that had no prior experience but were like soldiers. They were willing to give their life for this film.  Despite the challenges there was a huge sense of commoradity, making life easier.

What made you decide to cast an Egyptian actor and an Algerian Singer? Can you talk more about the casting process?

Yes, people thought I was mad, getting the permission to get Khaled in the country was close to a miracle. But I always loved his acting, he is a dear friend of mine. The first time we met he told me his dream was to come to Palestine. When the Egyptian revolution broke out, he was a person that spoke out, so he has this revolutionary spirit inside of him. More than wanting someone to act, I wanted someone to be. I didn’t want to sit there and have to search for someone to fall in love to a country, I wanted to have an actor that had the spirit inside of him. I cast really hard, for me it’s crucial good casting and good locations. Once you have both you have a good story. The main actress is also a good friend of mine, she is actually a famous Algerian singer. She had this aura about her, I can’t explain how wonderful it is. She has a bit of a pain, when I cast her she said “I'm not an actress” I replied 'it’s ok, I want your spirit” and I was able to capture her soul. For the main girl, it was an interesting process because the role was for a boy. Every time I was casting for a boy, I wanted them to yell at me and they would respond “you want me to yell at you?”. I say “Pick this plastic bottle and through it to the table”. One day this boy came with his sister, I thought maybe if he sees his sister it would give him courage to do it. So I told her to yell at me, to be angry and she smashed that bottle, the table and yelled at me! I just thought, o.k there is my girl (laughs).

What are your influences? 

My major influences are trying to tell what is going on in a non-dogmatic way and, at the same time, making sure to get the human story out. I did my undergraduate in the US and I was never really happy with the images I saw. Wong Kar Wai movies In the Mood For Love changed my whole opinion about China. Cinema can change the way we are use to see things.

How was the audience reaction in Palestine of Eye of the Thief?

It was very interesting. The opening night was September 8th, 2014. The cinema was packed and we don’t have huge theaters in the country. It had over 850 people that were sitting on the floor, everywhere. It was unbelievable. There was a sound issue, the movie stopped after 1 hour and 10 min. A lot of people risked to come to the screening as it was at night and it can be dangerous. The people that work in the water industry told me that for 20 years they were trying to tell the story I told in an hour and a half. There were also people that were angry at me for not exploring the whole story and struggle that happens in their daily lives, so it was a mixed audience.
 

Interview by L. Fietz

EYES OF A THIEF

Egyptian Actor Khaled Abol Naga wins best actor at the Cairo Intl Film Festival

Najwa Najjar wins the Golden Royal Bengal Tiger Award for the best woman director at the 20th Kolkata International Film Festival, India. 

Official Palestinian entry Foreign Language Film - 87th Academy Awards