Actor Ben Kingsley and U.S. philanthropists unveiled an Arabic version of the film "Gandhi" yesterday, hoping to bring the legendary Indian...
RAMALLAH, West Bank — Actor Ben Kingsley and U.S. philanthropists unveiled an Arabic version of the film “Gandhi” yesterday, hoping to bring the legendary Indian revolutionary’s message of nonviolent resistance to Palestinian towns, villages and refugee camps.
The 1982 Academy Award-winning film was dubbed into Arabic by 129 Palestinian actors.
The new version of the film is the centerpiece of the Gandhi Project, which is intended to spread the philosophy of peace and tolerance in the region.
The project, sponsored by the Skoll Foundation and the Global Catalyst Foundation, two U.S.-based philanthropic organizations, plans to offer free screenings throughout the West Bank and Gaza Strip and to distribute DVD copies to local civic groups to show to young people. The film also will be shown to Palestinians in Lebanon, Syria and Jordan.
Most Read Nation & World Stories
Kingsley, who played Gandhi in the movie, said its most important message was the idea of Satyagraha, a Sanskrit word meaning “truth force,” the use of nonviolent resistance to open the eyes of the oppressor.