Posts Tagged ‘documentary’
FILM: Budrus at our September Meeting
September 9th, 2011 • Events, Film & Documentary, News
Tags: Budrus, documentary, meeting, september
“It takes a village to unite the
most divided people on earth.”
We’ll be showing the award-winning film Budrus, an inspiring film chronicling the peaceful protests of Palestinians in the West Bank, at our September meeting. Trailer:
When? 8pm Thursday 15th Sept 2011
Where? Room 3, RISC, London Street, Reading , RG1 4PS(above the Global Cafe)
Budrus is an award-winning feature documentary film about a Palestinian community organizer, Ayed Morrar, who unites local Fatah and Hamas members along with Israeli supporters in an unarmed movement to save his village of Budrus from destruction by Israel’s Separation Barrier. Success eludes them until his 15-year-old daughter, Iltezam, launches a women’s contingent that quickly moves to the front lines. Struggling side by side, father and daughter unleash an inspiring, yet little-known, movement in the Occupied Palestinian Territories that is still gaining ground today. In an action-filled documentary chronicling this movement from its infancy, Budrus shines a light on people who choose nonviolence to confront a threat.
- Find out more at the Official Website…
- Watch AJE’s Fabulous Picture Show on the Budrus
Louis Theroux: My time among the Ultra-Zionists
February 4th, 2011 • Film & Documentary, News
Tags: bbc, documentary, israel, Louis Theroux, palestinian, Zionists
UPDATED: Informative ‘Behind the Scenes’ report with Executive Producer Nick Mirsky at Broadcast Now...
BBC 2 documentary with Louis Theroux [@Louis_Theroux], Ultra Zionists:
Louis Theroux spends time with a small and very committed subculture of ultra-nationalist Jewish settlers. He discovers a group of people who consider it their religious and political obligation to populate some of the most sensitive and disputed areas of the West Bank, especially those with a spiritual significance dating back to the Bible.
Throughout his journey, Louis gets close to the people most involved with driving the extreme end of the Jewish settler movement – finding them warm, friendly, humorous, and deeply troubling.
- BBC Breakfast: “I waited 10 years to make the film on Zionists”
- BBC Radio: Richard Bacon interviews Louis Theroux
- BBC Magazine – My time among the ‘ultra-Zionists’:
The anger and despair of the Palestinians at the settling of foreigners in their midst is palpable. Many say they would be happy to have Jewish neighbours but not while they don’t enjoy the same rights or have the same sovereignty. Towards the end of my stay, one of the settler security guards in East Jerusalem shot and killed a Palestinian man. Rioting was widespread and it seemed clear to me the country was close to a third intifada.
Not long after that I left Jerusalem, but not before I visited Yair again. Once again I found him friendly, likeable, and yet profoundly lacking in perspective of how his national aspirations were trampling on the rights of millions of Palestinians.
With the very vague possibility of peace on the horizon, I asked if he wasn’t worried about being told to leave.
“If they want they can take me by power and I’m going to come back illegally,” he said. “This is our land. You can come and kill us and do whatever you want. We’re going to die for this country.”
Read more…
- The Guardian interview: ‘I’m not that comfortable doing polemic’
- The Guardian TV Review:
The weirdest encounter was with a group of American Christians who had volunteered to pick grapes at a West Bank vineyard. “It’s a labour of love for the nation of Israel,” said one. Like Daniel, they seemed incapable of viewing the situation as in any way complex. In general, when Theroux goes on one of his adventures one is forced to admire his daft, naive courage. In this case I was left admiring his patience.
Israeli Troops Ordered to “Cleanse” Gaza
January 27th, 2011 • Film & Documentary, News
Tags: Concrete, documentary, film, gaza, idf, interview, Nurit Kedar, Operation Cast Lead, Testimony, war crimes
Stunning new testimony from IDF troops sent into Gaza during Operation Cast Lead from Nurit Kedar’s film ‘Concrete’:
Nurit Kedar’s film, Concrete, hears from Israeli soldiers who blame their military leaders for encouraging a “disproportionate” response to Hamas’s rockets.
They claim their commanders used to “psych up” soldiers before an operation so they were ready to shoot indiscriminately.
This is the first time Israeli soldiers have come forward publicly with claims which counter those of their bosses.
In a report first aired on Channel 4 News on Wednesday, 24-year-old tank commander Ohad remembers being told the night before the operation that the entry into Gaza was to be “disproportionate”.
Once into Gaza, he says his orders were unambiguous: “We needed to cleanse the neighbourhoods, the buildings, the area. It sounds really terrible to say “cleanse”, but those were the orders….I don’t want to make a mistake with the words.”
The IDF [Israel Defence Forces] has said its operational orders during the war emphasised “proportionality” and “humanity”.
The importance of minimising harm to civilians was made clear to soldiers, the IDF said at the time. By the end of the 22 day long operation some 1,400 Palestinians had been killed and large areas of Gaza razed. Ten Israeli soldiers and three Israeli civilians also died.
Read more at Channel 4 News…
Israeli Embassy response:
“Unlike much of the region, the open society within Israel allows for all allegations such as these to be aired and investigated.
“Israel has already authorised over 100 separate investigations into the operation, five broader investigations, and close to 50 criminal investigations are also taking place.
“All this in the context of having to respond to over 12,000 missiles raining on our citizens – such an operation could unfortunately never be flawless given these circumstances.
“Our judicial process is renowned across the world for its independence. This is a country after all, which holds even the very top of society to account, as has been proven in recent days. This is Israel in the 21st Century, a flourishing democracy, thriving amongst a desert of tyranny in the Middle East.”
Interview with filmmaker Nurit Kedar:
Nurit Kedar’s other films include ‘One Shot’:
From Porthmadog Back to Bethlehem
January 16th, 2011 • Film & Documentary, News
Tags: Back to Bethlehem, Byd Pawb, Caernarfon and Denbigh Herald, channel 4, documentary, Nol i Fethlehem, Porthmadog, s4c, tv, welsh
A moving and informative documentary shown on S4C (Welsh language Channel 4) over Christmas.
WATCH ONLINE AT S4C/CLIC »
Byd Pawb: Nol i Fethlehem (Back to Bethlehem)
Diek Family
A powerful documentary follows a Welsh family as they return to Bethlehem, Palestine in the Middle East. We follow Susan, 48, Tony Diek, 49 and their children Adam, 27 and Natalie, 24 as they travelled from Porthmadog, Gwynedd to Bethlehem to meet their relatives for the first time since fleeing the Palestinian West Bank 15 years ago.The programme provides one family’s unique Welsh perspective on an international conflict, and reminds us at Christmas that it continues to divide families in Bethlehem.
Susan was born and bred in Porthmadog but went to live and work in Palestine 30 years ago where she met and married Tony Diek. Tony is a Christian Palestinian but he, along with Susan and their two children, has a British passport and is an UK citizen living in a truly international home where three languages are spoken – Welsh, Arabic and English.
Trouble in Bethlehem
The Dieks knew that things had deteriorated in Bethlehem and the West Bank since they fled in 1996, with the iron and concrete wall being built by Israel around the West Bank. But nothing quite prepared them or the film crew for what they would witness. While the wall has reduced the number of Palestinian terrorist attacks on Israel by 90%, the Dieks were shocked to see how it has affected everyday life in Palestine.
“We were treated terribly – we all had British passports but that counted for nothing in the eyes of the Israelis. As Tony had been born there, he was a Palestinian in their eyes,” said Susan.
Tony has two brothers in Bethlehem and a sister who lives beyond the wall in Jerusalem, Israel. But Tony was refused permission to travel to her home without a Palestinian ID. Susan and the children had to make the difficult journey through the checkpoints to Jerusalem without him. Jerusalem, a city important to Jews, Palestinians and Christians, is the focal point of the conflict between Palestinians and Israelis. “We had also hoped to go together to the Church of Nativity in Bethlehem where we were married 30 years ago. But because of the difficulties Tony wasn’t able to come with us and yet again, 15 years on, events had separated us as a family.”
It was an emotional experience for all of them to see their family and friends once again – and realise how difficult life is for all the people living in the shadow of a wall which will encircle the West Bank once it’s completed
- WATCH ONLINE… (in Welsh/English/Arabic with English subtitles)
- Read a review from the Caernarfon and Denbigh Herald: Emotional journey to holy land for Porthmadog family
- Daily Post: Welsh couple stopped from returning to Bethlehem
- Western Mail: Bethlehem … the people feel as if they’re in jail
- BBC, 2002: Relatives’ fear over Middle East war
John Pilger: The War You Don’t See
December 14th, 2010 • Film & Documentary, News
Tags: assange, documentary, ITV, john pilger, journalism, rageh omaar, the guardian, The War You Don't See, war, Wikileaks
UPDATE #2: The War You Don’t See is now on YouTube…
UPDATE #1: UK readers can watch The War You Don’t See on the ITV website.
The documentary is a powerful indictment of the media’s failure over Iraq, Afghanistan, Israel/Palestine and other conflicts. Some, including Rageh Omaar (then-BBC, now-AJE), admit to as much.
A MUST SEE!
The documentary is playing at the Regal Picturehouse in Henley and other venues around the country – we can not recommend this film highly enough!
Here’s the section on Palestine, Israeli propaganda and the Gaza Flotilla (includes interviews with Greg Philo):
-
John Pilger‘s new documentary, The War You Don’t See, will be shown on ITV this evening, Tuesday December 14th, 2010 at 10.35pm.
This powerful film exposes the media’s complicity in war. Featuring interviews with senior figures at major UK and US broadcasters and WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange (before his arrest). From ITV Press Office:
In this new documentary John Pilger, the winner of journalism’s top awards for both press and broadcasting, including academy awards in the UK and US, questions the role of the media in war. In The War You Don’t See, Pilger, himself a renowned correspondent, asks whether mainstream news has become an integral part of war-making.
Focusing on the current conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq, Pilger reflects on the history of the relationship between the media and government in times of conflict stretching back to World War I and explores the impact on the information fed to the public of the modern day practice of public relations in the guise of ‘embedding’ journalists with the military.
Featuring interviews with senior figures at major UK broadcasters, the BBC and ITV, and high profile journalists on both sides of the Atlantic, including Rageh Omaar and Dan Rather, the film investigates the reporting of government claims that Iraq harboured weapons of mass destruction.
In a rare move, the documentary is also playing at the Regal Picturehouse in Henley and other venues around the country.
- Interviews: New Internationalist interview & Radio 4 Today programme
- Read Pilger’s Guardian article: Why are wars not being reported honestly? and the accompanying video clips from the film.
BUDRUS: It Takes a Village to Unite the Most Divided People on Earth
November 19th, 2010 • Awareness, Film & Documentary
Tags: Budrus, documentary, film, Julia Bacha, village
BUDRUS is an award-winning feature documentary film about a Palestinian community organizer, Ayed Morrar, who unites local Fatah and Hamas members along with Israeli supporters in an unarmed movement to save his village of Budrus from destruction by Israel’s Separation Barrier.
Success eludes them until his 15-year-old daughter, Iltezam, launches a women’s contingent that quickly moves to the front lines. Struggling side by side, father and daughter unleash an inspiring, yet little-known, movement in the Occupied Palestinian Territories that is still gaining ground today. In an action-filled documentary chronicling this movement from its infancy, Budrus shines a light on people who choose nonviolence to confront a threat.
While this film is about one Palestinian village, it tells a much bigger story about what is possible in the Middle East. Ayed succeeded in doing what many people believe to be impossible: he united feuding Palestinian political groups, including Fatah and Hamas; he brought women to the heart of the struggle by encouraging his daughter Iltezam’s leadership; and welcoming hundreds of Israelis to cross into Palestinian territory for the first time and join this nonviolent effort. Many of the activists who joined the villagers of Budrus are now continuing to support nonviolence efforts in villages from Bil’in to Nabi Saleh to Sheikh Jarrah in East Jerusalem.
The only scheduled UK screening is in York on November 29 – Worldwide theatrical release information is here
Al Jazeera has had extensive coverage of the film, including interviews with filmmaker Julia Bacha on Riz Khan and The Fabulous Picture Show:
Viva Palestina Convoy Documentary: Return to Gaza
February 19th, 2010 • Film & Documentary, News
Tags: convoy, documentary, film, gaza, student, viva palestina
Student filmmaker and Convoy member Dale Vincent Smith’s documentary “Return to Gaza” will be released in April.
Listen to Dale’s interview on BBC Radio Derby:
Part 1
Part2
To Shoot an Elephant
January 22nd, 2010 • Awareness, Events, Film & Documentary
Tags: cast lead, documentary, film, gaza, screening, to shoot, to shoot an elephant
We have produced a version with enhanced subtitles: click here to download (468mb)
ei interview with Ewa Jasiewicz: “We are all complicit”
If you missed the film or would like to share the film with others, the filmmakers have made it available on DVD & to download free here…
Thanks to all those that attended the Jan 21 screening in Reading!
“…afterwards, of course, there were endless discussions about the shooting of the elephant. The owner was furious, but he was only an Indian and could do nothing. Besides, legally I had done the right thing, for a mad elephant has to be killed, like a mad dog, if it’s owner fails to control it”. – George Orwell defined a way of witnessing Asia that still remains valid.
To shoot an Elephant, a film by Alberto Arce and Mohammed Rujaila, is an eyewitness account from the Gaza strip during the Israeli embargo. The film shot between December 25 2008 and January 16 2009, 21 days of urgent, insomniac dirty shuddering images from the only foreigners who decided and managed to stay in Gaza, embedded with the ambulance workers who pick up the wounded and dead from the streets. Read more »
FILM: The Road to Gaza
January 11th, 2010 • Awareness, Film & Documentary
Tags: documentary, film, gaza, samouni, the road to gaza
A shocking expose of the weapons and their effects used on Gaza.
In March 2009, two activists Patrick Ward and Stewart Halforty from the London Stop the War Movement travelled to the Gaza Strip in Palestine with the intention of documenting the effects of the recent attack on Gaza by Israel. Taking only basic equipment they crossed the border into Gaza where the full horror of the attacks became apparent.
Ramallah – The Arab Street
December 15th, 2009 • Awareness
Tags: al jazeera, arab street, documentary, film, ramallah, west bank
From Al Jazeera’s The Arab Street:
The Arab Street goes to the heart of the city to find out, bypassing the politicians and pundits to get the views of ordinary men and women. In this episode we visit Ramallah, home to 125,000 people, as well as the Palestinian Authority.
Penned in by Israel’s separation wall and with freedom to travel limited by road blocks, what is everyday life like for Ramallah’s citizens? Like most of occupied Palestine, Ramallah struggles economically. Its people enjoy the moral support of the wider Arab world, but do other Middle Eastern governments provide sufficient financial support?
What is life like behind Israel’s wall and will a freeze on Jewish settlements lead to peace?
