Miral

Miral, directed by Julian Schnabel, is based on journalist Rula Jebreal’s autobiographical novel about growing up as a Palestinian in Israel. It tells the first-hand tale of three women whose lives unfold during the first intifada, the Palestinian uprising against the Israeli occupation that began in 1987. Highlighting the remarkable work of a Palestinian woman named Hind Husseini – a woman who sacrifices everything to establish a school for refugee Palestinian girls in East Jerusalem and takes Miral in – the book and film show that hope still exists within a world of conflict. Bringing numerous elements of her own life into the story – Jebreal and her younger sister were taken in by Husseini after their own mother committed suicide.

"the real problem is the movie is pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel and it is going to be very difficult to get American audiences excited to see it," said one source.

Wikipedia | Guardian

Published by Serpent’s Tail Miral, the book, is out now. Miral, the film, is out now in the UK and released on 25 March, 2011, in the US.

The back story of Rula Jebreal's relationship with Schnabel is also pretty interesting.

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New John John Jesse Interview!

John John Jesse is one of the first artists I fell madly in love with via the internet several years ago. From the rough NYC punk scene of the 70s and 80s, John is now living and working just outside Philly and he was recently interviewed at his home.

I hadn't seen anything new from him in a long time and have never seen such an in-depth interview about JJJ so this is a super "get" by J.L. Schnabel. Go see the rest of the photos.

Wikipedia | Website

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Reading about Julian Schnabel on the internet I see he's currently working on a new movie which stars Johnny Depp, in the role of editor Jean-Dominique Bauby, who, in 1995 at the age of 43, suffered a stroke that paralyzed his entire body. The film, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, is from his book of the same name, in which he used the only tool available to him--his left eye--with which he blinked out its letters and someone typed the words. What a challenging role this will be from a man who maintained his dignity after suffering such a severe stroke. (He has since passed.) The film is tentatively scheduled for a 2006 release.



**Schnabel also directed the delightful Jeffrey Wright in his portrayal of Basquiat.



{Monday Quote}

Waking up this morning, I smile.

Twenty-four brand new hours are before me.

I vow to live fully in each moment

and to look at all beings with eyes of compassion.

~Thich Nhat Hanh



Oh, cool. My Prozac fits into my Pez dispenser.

have a beautiful Monday

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