Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters joins team of new Palestinian resistance documentary
- Text by Ella Glossop
- Photography by Andrés Ibarra, Freedom Theatre (stills)
Freedom Theatre — Directed by Rishi Pelham, the film spotlights a theatre operating in the Jenin refugee camp.
Roger Waters has joined the team behind a new documentary exploring the struggle to keep a theatre operating in the Jenin refugee camp in Palestine.
The Pink Floyd co-founder has signed on as an executive producer of Freedom Theatre, directed by Rishi Pelham, which centres on Palestinian artist Ahmed Tobasi and his work to preserve the theatre amid the threats and instability surrounding the Jenin refugee camp.
“I discovered the Freedom Theatre as a teenager during my time living in Palestine,” Pelham told Huck. Years later, he reached out to Tobasi, then the theatre’s artistic director, intending to learn more about its work.
“To put it bluntly, Tobasi responded saying, ‘Don’t just come here, look at the zoo and fuck off. If you want, bring a camera with you and document a reality that no-one is talking about,’” Pelham explained.
Pelham travelled to the theatre with director of photography Yazan Barghouti in 2021. “Five years later, we have returned with this story,” he continued.
Pelham also co-composed the film’s score with Palestinian techno producer Sama’ Abdulhadi and jazz collective Urvashi, bringing together the theatre’s story with music from Palestine’s contemporary scene.
Waters’ involvement comes amid his continued public support for Palestine. In August, he released a reworked version of Pink Floyd’s ‘Comfortably Numb’ with Palestinian singer Mona Miari, with proceeds and donations directed towards Palestinian humanitarian efforts.
The musician has also spoken publicly about the war in Gaza and criticised fellow artists over their positions on Israel and Palestine. This week, he signed an open letter alongside more than 100 artists calling on the Venice Film Festival – which kicked off this September – to take “concrete action” in support of Palestine.
Freedom Theatre is currently in post-production, with the production team attending the Venice Film Festival to meet with industry figures and explore distribution opportunities. A release date has not yet been announced.
Ella Glossop is Huck’s social editor. Follow her on Bluesky.
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