Joan Mandell

Tales from Arab Detroit

Tales from Arab Detroit is a video documentary offering a fascinating glimpse into the lives and struggles of the Arab American community in the Detroit tri-county area.

Gaza Ghetto

Gaza Ghetto: Portrait of a Family, 1948 – 1984 is a documentary film about the life of a Palestinian family living in the Jabalia refugee camp. The film, created by Joan Mandell, Pea Holmquist, and Pierre Bjorklund in 1984 is believed to be the first documentary ever made in Gaza. The film features Ariel Sharon, Binyamin Ben-Eliezer and soldiers on patrol "candidly discuss[ing] their responsibilities." The film follows a refugee family from the Gaza Strip who visit the site of their former village, now a Jewish town in Israel. As the grandfather and great-grandfather point out an orchard and sycamore fig that belonged to Muhammed Ayyub and Uncle Khalil, an Israeli resident appears and tells them to leave, claiming they need a permit to be there. The mother tells him that, "We work in Jaffa and Tel Aviv and that's not forbidden," to which he replies, "Here it's forbidden."

Gaza Ghetto: Portrait of a Palestinian Family

The first documentary feature film produced in Gaza highlights the historical precedents of war, dispossession and military control that influence a family’s daily life in Jabalia Palestinian refugee camp. Intimate scenes — a child is born, a grandmother dies — are intercut with visits to the architects of the Israeli military occupation. Ariel Sharon, Benyamin Beneliezar, and soldiers on patrol candidly discuss their responsibilities.