The
2013 Academy Award-nominated film, “Five Broken Cameras,” kicks off this year’s NJP summer film festival on June 11, 2013. The highly-acclaimed documentary
follows the story of Emad Burnat, a resident of a besieged Palestinian village
who uses his video camera to record his community’s resistance against the
planned Israeli apartheid wall.
Sponsored
by Northfielders for Justice in Palestine/Israel, the film series features four documentaries in which Palestinians tell the story of the Israeli occupation of
their native lands.
The
other films are “One Family in Gaza,” “Where Should the Birds Fly?” and “Roadmap
to Apartheid.”
All shows begin at 7 p.m. on three consecutive Tuesdays beginning June 11, at
Bethel Lutheran Church, 1050 Cedar Avenue, Northfield, and are free and open to
the public. Each evening will end with a brief question-and-answer period.
Tuesday, June 11: “Five
Broken Cameras”
Palestinian farmer Emad Burnat buys a camera at the birth of
his youngest son. It isn’t long until he turns the lens on his neighbors in the West Bank village of Bil’in. Each of his cameras meets a violent end, but not
before capturing Bil’in’s nonviolent resistance against Israeli oppression.
Tuesday,
June 18, Film 1: “One Family in Gaza”
Filmmaker Jen Marlowe visited Gaza just months after “Operation
Cast Lead,” the 2008-09 Israeli assault that killed 1,390 Palestinians. Among
dozens of painful stories she heard, the story of Kamal and Wafaa Awajah stood
out. Their son Ibrahim was executed and their home reduced to rubble. Yet their
humanity, their love for their children and their efforts to create a life for
them stood in stark contrast to the prevailing stereotypes of Palestinians as
either violent terrorists or helpless victims.
Film 2: “Where
Should the Birds Fly?”
Also documenting life in Gaza after Operation Cast Lead, “Where
Should the Birds Fly?” follows two survivors, young Mona Samouni and the
filmmaker, Fida Qishta. Their stories exemplify the strength, hope, humanity and humor that flourishes among the people of Gaza in spite of the sanctions
and warfare that make Gaza a virtual open-air prison.
Tuesday,
June 25: “Roadmap to Apartheid”
The word “apartheid” was coined to describe South Africa’s discriminatory policy of racial
separation. But more and more it is being used to describe Israeli policies
designed to contain Palestinians and limit their rights. Narrated by Alice Walker (author of “The Color Purple”), the film compares the laws and tools
used by both Israel and apartheid-era South Africa to marginalize its
indigenous people.
NJP is an ecumenical group of community members who organize
local events to educate and advocate for justice and peace in Palestine/Israel.
Members of the committee are available to speak about their experiences in Palestine/Israel.
For more information about the event or NJP, contact
committee member Bill McGrath at 507-645-7660.