HAMMOUDI
International Treaty on Cluster Munitions Announced as HAMMOUDI Premieres
Cluster munitions refers to a technique of dropping one huge container from an aircraft which opens in the air, releasing dozens or sometimes hundreds of tiny bombs about the size of a can of soda. These drift to the earth on tiny parachutes, where many will stay unexploded, sometimes for years, waiting for something to detonate them. The small unexploded bombs are scattered over a wide area and are easily detonated by a civilian. A particularly disturbing scenario that has occurred many times is that a child sees the unusual, shiny object, goes to pick it up, and it explodes. In Mohammad's case, the bomb got caught in the wheel of a vehicle he was in and exploded under the car.
At the Media That Matters Awards Ceremony on May 30th, Arts Engine's board member Jill Savitt, who is the director of the Dream for Darfur campaign, said: "You are about to see a film about a boy caught in the crossfire, a defenseless boy, who is severely and forever affected by larger political violence. Protecting civilians in situations of conflict and mass atrocities is one of the most important human rights fights we can take up. Very often these conflicts where civilians are harmed are very complicated and hard to unravel, but they are important to continue to talk about and to understand if we are ever to see our way to a better future. A person's, especially a child's right to security should be absolute. In honoring Hammoudi, the film that won the jury prize, we affirm this ideal."
As a recent New York Times article puts it, this treaty is a big step forward, because even though most of the major producers and deployers of cluster bombs boycotted the conference -- including the United States, China, Russia, Israel, India, Pakistan and Brazil -- the impact of the treaty will "be felt even by those nations that refused to sign, much as those countries that have rejected the 1997 Ottawa treaty on land mines, including the United States, have refrained from using mines since that treaty was adopted."
Part of the value of film is its power to put a human face on huge international issues, allowing us a window into the real consequences of international policies. The response to Hammoudi has been gratifying. In the first week following the film's launch on YouTube it amassed over 4000 views, and numerous heartfelt comments, including this: "I don't detect any rancor, malice or thoughts of revenge within this little boy Mohammed. That's a start. Putting a face on what war has begotten, and then thinking toward a solution....pray for peace."
By Mary Myers
UPDATE:
Hammoudi was also recently screened in Beirut by the United Nations Special Rapporteur, whose job is to investigate, monitor and recommend solutions to human rights problems, as part of a series of videos to demonstrate the "tragedy of disability in war and the courage of those who overcome it", according to Lebanon's Daily Star. This screening was part of the launch of a global campaign to raise awareness with regard to war and resulting disabilities, which coincided with the growing strength of the International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
By Adrienne Zak
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