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Written by Diana Atallah
Published Tuesday, January 29, 2013
RAMALLAH – Palestinians hope an Oscar-nominated documentary depicting a non-violent struggle against Israel
will succeed in telling their story, even though some recent viewers
who saw the film in Ramallah expressed reservations about Israeli
involvement in the movie.
5 Broken Cameras is
one of five candidates for the Oscar in the Best Documentary Feature
category this year. Released in 2011 by Palestinian director Emad Burnat
and Israeli director Guy Davidi, it has been screened in 50 countries
and translated into several languages.
Mohammed
Al-Khatib, of the Popular Struggle Committee, who organized the
screening in Ramallah, said the film was a "national" one. It received a
mixed reception at its first showing here: the audience clapping,
cheering, laughing and crying during the 95-minute film, but also
leveling some criticism for Israeli participation in its production.
But Burnat, with his son Jibril -- who is seen in the film -- standing alongside him on the Ramallah Cultural Palace stage, called the film's nomination "a national day for Palestine. One billion people who watch the Oscars will know the story and suffering of the Palestinians."
"There
was a misconception about the identity of this movie,” Burnat told the
audience after being asked about the Israeli issue. “I invited an
Israeli partner, a supporter who came to my village to help me in the
final stages, but the Israeli press called the film ‘Israeli.’ The
documentaries nominated for the Oscars are not listed under specific
countries.”
"I
filmed the movie, but just because an Israeli activist came to the
village and helped does not mean the film is Israeli. I just think of it
as a human issue as opposed to political," he told The Media Line. He
added that the directors received funding from European countries
including France and the Netherlands, as well as Israel, to underwrite post-production costs, but that the film is a Palestinian-Israeli-French production.
Burnat,
a farmer, started filming when Jibril, his fourth and youngest son, was
born in 2005 – the same year popular demonstrations began against the
security barrier Israel
was building on village lands in Bil'in and construction of the Jewish
community of Modi'in Illit was under way on lands villagers claimed
belongs to them.
The
camera barely left Burnat's hands during the five years during which he
filmed the movie depicting the life of his family and the villagers,
and the constant friction with Israeli soldiers. Included are Jibril's
first words, “wall” and “army”; and the killing of his close friend
Basem Abu Rahmeh by Israeli soldiers during a demonstration.
The
title of the film comes from the five cameras that were smashed or hit
by bullets when the demonstrations turned violent. In each case, Burnat
kept filming. Back in Bil'in, where he lives with his four sons and
Palestinian-Brazilian wife Soraya, the five cameras sit at one corner,
and awards fill two tables in the salon. Photos of Jibril meeting in Istanbul with Turkish soap opera stars popular with Arabs and Palestinians adorn the walls.
After
the film won awards worldwide, including at the prestigious Sundance
Festival, Burnat and his colleague did not rule out the possibility of
an Academy Award nomination. If the strong reactions by many at the
Ramallah screening are any indication, that optimism may prove to be
well-founded.
Nadia
Awad, a public relations specialist in the NGO sector, told The Media
Line that she cried during the sad parts of the movie. "I think it was
moving and heartbreaking. Seeing the violence of the shots and the tear
gas was difficult. And to be honest, as a Palestinian I feel guilty that
I have never been to Bil'in or Nil'in and attended these demonstrations
even when I knew about them. This might make me change my ways."
Ohoud
Mraqtan, a freelance journalist, thought the film was one of the
strongest she has seen. "The narration, the story, the reality of the
scenes kept our attention for two hours. You can't know Palestinian life
unless you see the movie," she told The Media Line.
However,
Rami Khalil, who attended the screening, was less enthusiastic. "It's a
good movie, but I am still not sure why it was nominated for the
Oscars. I think maybe because I am a Palestinian living among the heat
of events that I don't see what the fuss is all about," he said.
Some
in the audience were still fussing about the film's Israeli funding,
but others were focusing on the more important contributions its unusual
pedigree can make.
"You
couldn't find anyone else?" one viewer asked. While Burnat replied that
he did not find Palestinian funding during the making of the movie,
Awad didn't see any problem. "If the Israeli participation helps this
movie be seen by Israelis as well as the world, then why not? I don't
think it's a betrayal of any kind," she told The Media Line.
Mraqtan
sees the collaboration as a way of bringing peace. "A
Palestinian-Israeli film shows that both people want to live in peace,”
he sid. “Let the people see that we all want to live in peace but the
occupation forces are not allowing us to."
Filmmaker
Burnat doesn't think his collaboration is unique, but its message is.
"The Palestinians and Israelis have relations, but the Israeli goes back
to his house in Tel Aviv and the Palestinian still lives under
occupation. My message from the movie is for the world to see the
reality of the Palestinian struggle and suffering through a personal and
human story," he told The Media Line.
Burnat's Israeli co-director Davidi wasn't at the Ramallah screening because he was busy with screenings in Israel, the farmer-turned-filmmaker said.
Intl Emmy Awards
