Directed by Kasim Abid • Documentary • 1999 • 52 minutes

Throughout history artists have faced the threat of violence when their work offended the state or the political elite. The late Palestinian cartoonist Naji Al-Ali produced thousands of cartoons satirizing the powers that be in the Middle East, and paid the ultimate price for his 'offensive' expression. On July 22, 1987 he was shot in the face, at point blank range, as he left the London offices of the Al Qabbas newspaper. He died after laying in a coma for 5 weeks.

Emerging from humble beginnings in the refugee camps, for over 30 years he was an uncompromising critic of a regressive Arab political culture and of Western intervention in Arab affairs. Interviews with leading Arab journalists and poets, former jail mates, his wife and others give us insight to his unrelenting commitment to his people, and into his subtly satirical cartoons that stirred the hearts of millions of refugees. NAJI AL-ALI, AN ARTIST WITH VISION examines the forces that shaped Naji as an artist, as a human being, and shows how his experiences mirror those of other exiled Palestinians.

'This valuable film... goes a long way toward preserving the memory of Naji al-Ali, allowing future generations to draw inspiration from this remarkable individual. Does an outstanding job of introducing not only the personality of al-Ali, but also the most important events shaping his work... Includes an excellent cross-section of the thousands of political drawings Al-Ali published in his lifetime.'-Al Jadid: A Review and Record of Arab Culture and Arts