We are currently seeking funding for the making of the new documentary.  We have achieved 70% of our funding needs and are hard at work – your aid would be greatly appreciated

If interested please email us and we will send you the full proposal

sabdunnur@yahoo.com

Proposal for an Experimental Documentary

Refugee Clowns

Director:  Sharif Abdunnur

Working Hypothesis and Interpretation

We want the audience to feel the difficulty and trauma of living like a refugee in the camps.  At the same time with all the depressions, ugliness and trauma, I want to show how circus and laughter can remove them from this and help them help others.

            Their work helps the refugee camps and connects those in the camps with those outside the camps and builds friendships and creates long lasting change within the society in the country as well as within their own souls.

            This will be a full feature documentary running a minimum of an hour and a half captured with the newest HDV equipment.

Topic

It discusses drama therapy, art therapy, trauma within children, the dramatic lives of these performers.

            The troupe is called Circuna, created in2006, trained by local trainers, Swedish, Swiss, German, African, Egyptian and various other trainers from all over the world.  It was created in collaboration with the Swedish Government on 5 year fund to produce a full team of performing clowns who would then open their own troupes all over Lebanon to help alleviate trauma in the refugee camps as well as bridge the gap with the Lebanese community.

Locations

The film is based on the last 3 years of footage already archived and the new footage that will be shot over the next 4 months; with detailed interviews with cast, families, communities, audiences etc.  It will incorporate footage from all over Lebanon.  This will be a unique directorial treat for all audiences.

About the Circus Troupe – The Subject of the Documentary

Circuna is a Palestinian circus project in Lebanon. It started in September 2006 and will run as long as the dream of Palestinian circus in Lebanon lasts. Circuna has funding for three years from the Swedish Government¹ (SIDA- Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency) www.sida.se The project is carried out by Clowns without Borders (www.skratt.nu) , with assistance of the Arab Resource Center for Popular Arts (www.al-jana.org )

.