Freedom Theatre - Documentary Film

INTRO

We are looking for support to complete post-production of our documentary film Freedom Theatre – a Palestinian story of artistic resistance, offering a rare and urgent portrait of what it means to be an artist in Palestine today.

WATCH THE PROMO

LOGLINE

Amid the shifting landscape of a post-COVID and post-October 7th Palestine, we follow Ahmad Tobasi, Creative Director of The Freedom Theatre - the Nobel Peace Prize-nominated theatre at the heart of the Jenin refugee camp. Charting what was to become a critical four year period for Tobasi professionally and personally, the film navigates the complex tensions arising from the practice of art as resistance in Palestine.

ABOUT 'FREEDOM THEATRE'

The Occupation is the frame rather than subject of this story. Filmed by an independent crew, taking a fly-on-the-wall approach, Tobasi is our narrator, the central figure guiding us through daily life in the camp and his unwavering commitment to his artistic and therapeutic practice.

Tobasi challenges both external forces of oppression and the internal pressures within Palestinian cultural and political life. With intimate and unprecedented access the audience is centered alongside Tobasi in this story, the result challenging the homogenising view of Palestine and its people.

While Tobasi’s story is unique, at its core this film uncovers the universal human impulse to search for truth and authenticity in all we do. As The Freedom Theatre nurtures the next generation of young artists, the documentary unfolds as a deeply human story of resilience, loss, and transformation—a universal search for meaning and authenticity in a world where silencing and erasure are constant threats.

SYNOPSIS

We meet Tobasi in the wake of the COVID epidemic, where he is struggling to keep the Theatre’s doors open. We document the remarkable story of a play produced by children of the camp who are supported by the Theatre’s drama therapy programme. Long form documentation captures the natural rhythms of the camp - subject to regular raids by the IOF, Jenin has long been a stronghold of multi-various forms of Palestinian resistance in the West Bank.

With each period of filming, the complexities of daily life and running a theatre under occupation are revealed. Following a period of incarceration after October 7th 2023, Tobasi returns to find the theatre not as he left it - we intimately document a unique period of personal transformation for Tobasi, and the theatre itself. As the crew navigate their own feasibility to gain access to Jenin, their final challenge is faced with capturing the extent of Tobasi’s overlooked determination to make art in the face of an ongoing genocide.

We are a small independent team [see below for team bios]. We have been working entirely for free and have run out of savings to cover material costs.

A cash injection will allow us to finish the project after four years of work by the crew and the theatre.

FUNDING ALLOCATION

Jenin and the Theatre continue to make headlines due to a recent surge in raids, where the entire population of the camp has been displaced.

Timing is crucial.

The money raised will pay for post-production, scheduled from September '25 - March '26. This essential stage of funding will mean we can share the finished documentary with audiences by early 2026. Below is an itemised breakdown of where funding will be spent:

UPCOMING TIMELINE

COMPLETED TIMELINE

FILMMAKING APPROACH

No two days at the theatre are the same - we have reflected this in our filmmaking approach, responding to changes on the ground as they happen, allowing this story to unfold organically.

The production crew has spent significant time living in Jenin and has worked alongside directors and students in the Theatre, while documenting the realities of those living in the refugee camp.

We have not used any archival or secondary footage. The film remains focused on capturing the present moment, guided by a principle of showing audiences what life is currently like for those in Jenin by immersing ourselves to document the lives of those we see on screen.

We have sought to present an unfiltered portrayal of life in the refugee camp, allowing viewers to explore real-time experiences of those living life there.

ABOUT US

We are Bathtub Films: a collective of creatives based in the UK who have focused on bringing our documentary Freedom Theatre to life.

Bathtub works to build spaces and projects that challenge conventional forms of storytelling by taking a radical approach to filmmaking.

DIRECTOR | Rishi Pelham

Rishi has spent the last several years building a close working relationship with the theatre and travelled to Jenin in 2022 to begin filming the project. Rishi has worked as a director, writer and composer for film and theatre. His 2019 feature film ‘Hilda’ received critical praise and won "Best Film” and “Best Director” at Moscow International Film Festival.

PRODUCER | Suzanne Harb

Suzanne is an Irish/Palestinian producer who comes from an interdisciplinary background in curation, community engagement and film/documentary. Her approach is grounded in bringing projects to life beyond the screen, working to deliver social impact strategies across genres in order to harness the power of film through live and interactive events.

VFX & EDITING SUPERVISOR | Ned Colin

Ned works to collaborate directly with Palestinian artists and designers to bring their work and visual style into the feature film. Ned is an award winning multimedia designer with over five years’ experience in international news and media. Also working in photography and photo editing.

FINAL NOTE

We want to once again thank you for looking through our fundraiser. If you have any further questions, or want to know how you can further support the documentary, please reach out via any of the following channels.

INSTA: @bathubfilms

WEB: www.bathtubfilms.com