Camera Remains

Can a damaged 16 mm camera which survived a plunderplunder event offer a present experience to its user? This chapter tells the story of the different lives which the 16 mm camera of Palestinian cinematographer Hani JawheriehJawherieh, Hani has passed through since his killing. This camera, which was first seen by JawheriehJawherieh, Hani’s colleague, filmmaker Mustafa Abu AliAbu Ali, Mustafa, as likewise a martyr since it had shared the fate of its owner, later became evidence of the violence perpetrated against Palestinian cinematographers. It then became an object of display, and a witness to a past cameraman’s career. In this chapter, Hani Jawherieh’s daughter HibaJawherieh, Hiba assembles her father’s camera, only to discover in the process that as she engages with the camera, she unlocks a transgenerational trauma, as the camera speaks not only of her father’s traumatictraumatic killing, but also of Hiba’s own memories and problematic past and present.