Budrus (78 minutes) 2009. Budrus is a good follow-up to Little Town of Bethlehem, listed below, as it deals with the story of a small West Bank farming village that uses nonviolent resistance to get the route of the Israeli Wall changed. The DVD documents what many people believe to be unlikely, if not impossible: the bringing together of various, often contentious, ideological camps, including Fatah and Hamas; engaging Israeli supporters and welcoming them as they crossed into Palestinian territory to join the effort ; and encouraging leadership by women. Website: http://www.justvision.org/en/budrus
Encounter Point (85 minutes) 2006. This is a documentary film that follows a former Israeli settler, a Palestinian ex-prisoner, a bereaved Israeli mother, and a wounded Palestinian bereaved brother who risk their lives and public standing to promote a nonviolent end to the conflict. Their journeys lead them to the unlikeliest places to confront hatred within their communities. The film explores what drives them and thousands of other like-minded civilians to overcome anger and grief to work for grassroots solutions.Website: http://www.justvision.org/encounterpoint
5 Broken Cameras (90 minutes) 2013. Directed by an amateur Palestinian videographer and an Israeli filmmaker, this is a personal first-hand account of years of nonviolent resistance in the Palestinian West Bank village of Bil’in, threatened by an expanding Israeli settlement. Palestinian villager Imad Burnat filmed the village’s weekly protests against the encroachment of the Israeli settlement and the Separation Wall being built through village land and, in the course, of filming lost five video cameras to Israeli military violence. The film was nominated for an Academy Award in 2013.
The Gatekeepers (101 minutes) 2013. Six former heads of the Israeli security organization Shin Bet share their insights, reflect on their actions and decisions in such areas as targeted assassinations, and discuss the morality of violence undertaken for security purposes. All of these men came to reconsider their hard-line positions and to advocate a more conciliatory approach toward the Palestinians. The film was nominated for an Academy Award in 2013.
The Iron Wall (52 minutes) 2006. The concept of an “iron wall” strategy—confronting the Arab world from a position of unassailable strength—has animated Zionism and Israeli policy from the beginning. Placing Israeli settlements as a cornerstone of this strategy, this documentary traces the development and steady expansion of the settlement project and describes their impact on the peace process. It also focuses on the latest project to make the settlements a permanent fact on the ground—the actual physical wall that Israel is building in the West Bank, well outside the borders of Israel—and its impact on the Palestinian peoples.
Life in Occupied Palestine: Eyewitness Stories and Photos (59 minutes) 2008. Anna Baltzer is a Jewish American Columbia University graduate, Fulbright Scholar, and granddaughter of Holocaust refugees who has lived and worked in the West Bank. In this video she documents human rights abuses in the West Bank and advocates support for the nonviolent movement against Occupation. Website: www.AnnaInTheMiddleEast.com
Little Town of Bethlehem (77 minutes) 2010. This is a good film to use as an introduction and overview of issues in Palestine-Israel, as the documentary follows the story of three men—one Christian, one Muslim, and one Jew—and each man’s choice of nonviolent action amid the presence of overwhelming violence. Their three stories are interwoven through major events of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Website: http://littletownofbethlehem.org/
1948: Creation and Catastrophe (85 minutes), 2017. Through the personal recollections of both Palestinians and Israelis, as well as a trove of archival film from the war,1948 Arab/Palestinian/Israeli war, this film reveals the shocking events of the most pivotal year in this long-running conflict. “This documentary was the last chance for many of its Israeli and Palestinian characters to narrate their first-hand accounts of the creation of a state and the expulsion of a nation.” https://www.1948movie.com
Occupation 101 (90 minutes) 2007. This is a powerful documentary on current and historical root causes of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It includes a comprehensive analysis of the facts and “hidden truths” surrounding the neve- ending controversy and addresses many long-perceived myths and misconceptions. Website: http://www.occupation101.com/
The Occupation of the American Mind (85 minutes full length; there are also 21- and 43-minute versions) 2016. In the belief that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories and blockade of Gaza are known throughout the world except in the US, this film “takes an eye-opening look at this critical exception, zeroing in on pro-Israel public relations efforts within the U.S.” Narrated by Roger Waters, the film explores how the Israel and US governments and the pro-Israel lobby cooperate “to shape American media coverage of the conflict in Israel’s favor.” With numerous expert commentators. Produced by Sut Jhally and the Media Education Foundation. https://vimeo.com/277492186
Omar 2014. Hany Abu-Assad’s new film, nominated for the AcademyAward for Best Foreign Film. “With his girlfriend, Nadia, living on the other side of an Israeli-built boundary wall, young Palestinian Omar regularly scales it to visit her. But he faces even greater obstacles after a lethal confrontation with an Israeli soldier.” In limited theatrical release.
Roadmap to Apartheid (95 minutes) 2013. This documentary takes a detailed look at the apartheid analogy commonly used to describe the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Narrated by novelist and activist Alice Walker, the film is both an historical look at the rise and fall of apartheid in South Africa and an examination of why many Palestinians feel they are living in an apartheid system today, and why an increasing number of people around the world agree with them. The film compares the many similar laws and tools used by Israel and apartheid-era South Africa.
The Stones Cry Out: The Story of the Palestinian Christians (53 minutes) 2013. Produced by Yasmin Perni. www.thestonescryoutmovie.com
Tears of Gaza (83 minutes) 2010. This is a Norwegian-directed film about Israel’s 2008-2009 invasion of Gaza and its impact on Gaza’s civilian population. Shot primarily by Palestinian cameramen, the film presents little analysis or commentary but is a documentation of the impact of war on a civilian populace, including its children.
