This week I’m sharing films from and about Palestine and depicting Palestinian perspectives. Free Palestine!
When Palestinian Emad Burnat bought a videocamera to record the life of his newborn son, he found himself also drawn into documenting the subsequent years of protest by his village against the illegal encroachment of Israeli settlements in his West Bank district.
Oscar-nominated for Best Documentary, 2012’s 5 Broken Cameras is a distressing portrait of everyday life in the West Bank, where kids’ birthday parties and jovial workmen repaving the road are the same sort of ordinary events as Israeli soldiers arresting children and throwing tear-gas grenades like confetti.
This is a simple film — warm, funny, and human — that hits with an unexpectedly profound impact. (Read my 2013 review.)
US: stream on Kanopy; rent/buy on Kino Now
UK: rent on Prime and BFI Player; rent/buy on Apple TV
See 5 Broken Cameras at Letterboxd for more viewing options.
