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Participatory Documentary mode

I chose to look at Arna’s Children- a biographical documentary of Arna Mer Khamis’s attempts to help Palestine children find a constructive outlet during Israeli occupation. The documentary traces the lives of a few children who were under Arna’s care in her theatre program from the 80’s -90’s.

In the above clip we see Juliano Khamis, the director of the documentary and son of Arna Khamis, interacting with the kids filmed in the documentary. Khamis’s screen time includes him teaching acting lessons to the kids.

Fast forward to a few years and we hear him interviewing the children who have grown up and taken on very different roles in life.

The documentary does slip into observational mode, when the camera captures the natural interaction of Arna with the children. Even though there is a narrator directing you, the voice blends in with the visuals so it doesn’t really stand out.