5 Broken Cameras

One of the most emotionally charged issues that continuously dominates the news is that of Palestine and the occupation of Gaza and the West Bank by Israel.

One of the most emotionally charged issues that continuously
dominates the news is that of Palestine and the occupation of Gaza and the West
Bank by Israel. Generally the media portrays the Palestinians
as terrorists and antagonists, when in fact, for the most part, they are trying
to defend their ancestral lands with not much more than rocks and civil
disobedience against one of the most powerful military forces in the world, one
that even the US is too scared to place sanctions on. Israel’s power and
influence is such that to even speak out against the Israeli military
incursions is likely to get you labelled as anti-Semitic. This moving
documentary will certainly make you revise your views of what is happening in the
Middle East.

Five Broken
Cameras is a personal account by, and of, Emad, a farmer and his family whose
land is on the ever-encroached border with Israel. The film’s title comes from
the number of cameras Emad has had destroyed while filming over the years. He
got his first video camera to record the childhood of his fourth son, but he
also started recording other events happening around his village, such as
Israeli bulldozers arriving to uproot the olive trees on his land to build a
fence and new settlements. While the farmers are living in relative poverty,
not more than a stone’s throw away brand new apartment buildings are springing
up. While the local Palestinian people are peacefully protesting, Israeli
soldiers indiscriminately shoot, often wounding other Israeli who object to
their government’s policies.

For anyone with a
sense of justice and humanity, this is a hard film to watch. The arrogance and
aggression of the Israelis on display here is often hard to bear. The more you
see the angrier you grow.

Following the
recent attacks on Gaza by Israel, along with the Israeli elections, this film
is an even more important document of a (now recognised) nation under threat,
and given a very human face. A real eye-opener.