Telling Strings

After the expulsion of the Palestinians and the setting up of the state of Israel in 1948,the young Palestinian Elias Jubran stayed on in the place where he was born. However, becauseof the political situation, he and his family lived in total isolation. Music helped him toovercome this isolation and provided him with an escape.

The film shows his family today, almost sixty years later. All four of his children have grown upin this environment permeated by politics and music, and have retained their links to music invery different ways. Completely different windows on the world open up through the children:the areas of Israel inhabited by Palestinians, Jerusalem and Paris. With this documentary,Anne-Marie Haller shows the intense interplay of music and politics in one of the world‘smost politically explosive regions. A film about music which draws its vitality largely from itscloseness to the protagonists and their different ways of life.

“The film shows how powerful music can be in defining cultural identity. It is a forceful statement in a time when music is all too often simply considered as ‘light entertainment'.Telling Strings is very personal and therefore especially revealing in highlighting the conflict in the Middle East.”
Thomas Beck, Editor-in-Chief, Swiss Television

“There were well-measured words, a good portion of silent and less silent out-cry in the narrative and the pictures, colourful scenes of human steadfastness, poetical moments and fine humour. Alf mabrouk!”
Matthias Hui, Fachstelle OeME (Oekumene, Mission, Entwicklungszusammenarbeit) Reformierte Kirchen Bern - Jura - Solothurn

“Unlike what we are used to see in films dealing with political issues, this film is so balanced in its presentation and argument.”
Alia Albialy, Director of THE 1ST WOMAN FILM FESTIVAL, Cairo