Screen/Society--Middle East Film Series: Palestinian/Israeli Documentary--"5 Broken Cameras"

Film Screening: "5 Broken Cameras" (Emad Burnat & Guy Davidi, 2011, 94 min, Israel/France/Netherlands, in Hebrew and Arabic with English subtitles, color, DVD) -- An extraordinary work of both cinematic and political activism, "5 Broken Cameras" is a deeply personal, first-hand account of non-violent resistance in Bil'in, a West Bank village threatened by encroaching Israeli settlements. Shot almost entirely by Palestinian farmer Emad Burnat, who bought his first camera in 2005 to record the birth of his youngest son, the footage was later turned into a galvanizing cinematic experience by Burnat and Israeli co-director Guy Davidi. Structured around the violent destruction of a succession of Burnat's video cameras, the filmmakers' collaboration follows one family's evolution over five years of village turmoil. Burnat watches from behind the lens as olive trees are bulldozed, protests intensify, and lives are lost. -- Part of the Duke Center for Jewish Studies series "Rethinking Israel," generously funded by the Sara & E.J. Evans Fund! -- Introduced by Prof. Rebecca Stein (Cultural Anthropology)! -- Nominated for the 2013 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature!