TERRY BOULLATA is a proud Jerusalemite who served on the boards of Jerusalem Cultural and Women’s Centers (the Palestinian National Theater—Al-Hakawati, and the Women’s Studies Center and a member of the general assembly of the Palestinian Art Court—Al-Hoash) in defense of cultural and women’s rights. She remains an active volunteer in conducting activities that aim to encourage the city’s development, preserve its rich cultural and tourism resources and protect its Palestinian national identity. Exposing violations of human, socio-economic and political rights of Palestinians remains a haunting mission, on which she focuses most of her efforts.
During the First Intifada, Boullata was detained four times between 1987–1989. Following her release, she graduated from Birzeit University and pursued her defense of Palestinian human rights, including women’s rights. Through her work, she came in touch with the suffering of her people, which she tried to voice through the production of two films: The Iron Wall, which documents the Israeli land-theft policy and segregation of the Palestinian people in the occupied Palestinian territory and Jerusalem: The East Side Story, which voices the suffering and aspirations of her Jerusalem community.