I can say it met my expectations. The film - based on Emad Burnat's at-times astounding video footage in the West Bank village of Bil'in - is well made, nicely paced, and serves as a courageous act of bearing witness to occupation.
As I watched 5 Broken Cameras, two moments in the Gideon Levy feature I wrote about yesterday (see Feb. 24 blog post) kept coming to mind. The first was a remark made by an Israeli journalist in Tel Aviv accusing Levy of demonizing Israel through his reporting. The second was a comment made by Levy himself, about how he sometimes feels like he is only writing for the record. The first point is impossible to take seriously, especially when contemplated while watching Burnat's video reportage; Israel's military does not need any help making itself look badly before the world. The second point might also apply to Burnat, and is a general reminder that those who work to expose this scale of injustice might never behold any results of their work.
The basic realities of the Palestine-Israel conflict are degrading and cruel. And though they have been minimized for many years by the American press, the situation is changing. There is ever-increasing attention being paid to Israel's treatment of the Palestinians. Documentaries like Burnat's are not only being made, but they are gaining broader audiences.
That 5 Broken Cameras was nominated for an Academy Award is quite remarkable. It's a good sign and does not bode well for Israel's agenda, or the agenda of those who champion it. I mention this not because of any value I place on, or interest I have in, the judgments of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. (I assign zero value to the Oscars and have equal interest.) However, the nomination of this film along with The Gatekeepers - which has at last come to Chicago and is next on my viewing list - signals the movement of the facts. Honest discussion of harsh political realities is commonly branded as leftist, but gradually moves toward the center. In other words, the facts slowly obtain acceptance. And it's happening with the Palestine-Israel issue. That a Palestinian film documenting Israeli brutality has been acknowledged by a staid, influential organization like the Academy indicates a big step in the direction of consensus.
As is my wont to point out, this is promising news for both sides of the Green Line.
http://www.kinolorber.com/5brokencameras
