Director Bakri never intended to shot an objective, balanced documentary. From the start the project was a very emotional one for him. His film shows the days of Jenin`s occupation from the perspectives of the Palestinians - their powerlessness, exasperation and grief - mainly through interviews with eye-witnesses and relatives of those who died.
But the impression of autheticity is not destroyed by their emotional statements but by Bakris technique with which he compiles his material. In several scenes Bakris film claims things he does not prove. In one scene an Israeli tank heads for a group of Palestinians lying on the ground. Then cut. In the next scene dead bodies are being carried away - as if the tanks had rolled over the men. But what in fact happened?
Another example: at the beginning of the film Bakri shows a house being blown up. Seemingly a prove for the brutal behaviour of the Israelian army. But these pictures had been issued by the press bureau of the Israelian forces. Had the scene continued, the audience could have seen that this house was used as a laboratory for explosives - an information Bakri omits.
These and several other scenes led the Israeli censors to prevent this film from being shown - it was the first film in 15 years to be banned. Mothers of soldiers who died in Jenin had started the enquiry. Furthermore Bakri was sued by a group reservists on the grounds of slander. Because the trial and especially due to the ban "Jenin, Jenin" quickly became a cult movie and was presented in numerous underground showings where it found a large Israelian audience as well.
It was only on November 11th, 2003 that Israeli`s highest court lifted the ban. The judge were of the opinion that the ban meant too strong a limitation of freedom of speech.
"Jenin Jenin" is dedicated to Iyad Samudi, the producer of the film, who returned home to Yamun after shooting the film. On June 23, as Israeli forces besieged Yamun, Samudi was shot and killed as he was leaving a military-closed area with three friends.

Received several awards at 2002 film festivals in Amsterdam, Friebourg, belfast, Kopenhagen and many others.

More sites on Jenin:
- http://this.is/jenin/
- http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article843.shtml

Although large-scale military operations in Palestinian refugee camps have been part of Israel`s deeadful everyday life for many years, the operation in Jenin received wide-spread attention. Due to the brutal and arbitrary proceedings of the Israelian army rumours spread about massacres on Palestians. Hundreds of refugees were said to be murdered. According to examinations by "Human Rights Watch" (HRW)these numbers were greatly exaggerated and researched 52 deads, 22 of these civilians. Some of the shootings might be considered war crimes, said HRW, as the Israelian army did not differentiate between civilians and fighters (there are said to have been 80-100 fighters) when to chose its military means.