Mariana Bianchetti and NossBalad - Palestinian Web Series

Warning: This is not a Palestinian web series about the conflict or the Occupation. Episode #1 of NossBalad (Half a Country in Arabic) of a hoped for 10 episodes, created by Italian Marianna Bianchetti, delineates the lives of ordinary Palestinians in East Jerusalem. NossBalad, based on Sharon and My Mother-in-Law by Suad Amiri, is written by Palestinian screenwriter and comedian Husam Abu Esheh. Something else original and interesting about NossBalad is the use of FREE online resources: a Wordpress blog acts as a website; Facebook and Twitter accounts promote the series; a YouTube channel airs the episodes; and Indie Gogo raises funds. I was lucky to interview Marianna Bianchetti, who has been working in Palestine since 2008, organizing theatre and multimedia workshops for Palestinian youth and recently helping to set up Jerusalem’s first office sharing space for artists, in the Al Mamal Lab Old City East Jerusalem. The series uses humor and everyday situations to reveal the identity of middle class Palestinians living in East Jerusalem. The family of four children, their fashion designer single mother, and their grandfather faces the challenges of daily life which people might expect in any 21st century city: studying, fighting with the family, falling in love, but their joys and problems are also Palestinian. And so, the creators are trying to entertain, enlighten, and go beyond stereotype. That’s a tall order. See for yourself by watching episode #1. Can you identify what might be particularly Palestinian and what is universal to middle class families living in cities in 2012?