Set in America, Israel and Palestine, WRESTLING JERUSALEM follows one man’s journey to understand the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It is a personal story that grapples with the complexities of identity, history and social justice. Giving voice to 17 different characters – men and women, Jews and Muslims, soldiers and farmers, intellectuals and ordinary citizens – the film sheds light on one of the most entrenched conflicts of our time.
A Queer Country explores the development of Israel’s buzzing LGBTQ community in Tel Aviv – recently crowned the gay capital of the world – and what this means in a religious state. Using interview access to Tel Aviv’s mayor, who is controversially credited with pioneering its LGBTQ scene, the film uncovers how liberal attitudes are often at odds with the country’s religious laws. Despite hosting one of the world’s largest gay Pride events each year, Israel’s LGBTQ citizens face an uphill battle to achieve political victories such as the right to marry. They face continued violence – as demonstrated at Jerusalem Pride 2015. Interweaving the personal and political, the film builds an intimate portrait of Israel and its internal struggle between liberal and conservative attitudes, often drowned out by the conflict at its borders. The very question of Israel being an LGBTQ “champion” is controversial; some accuse the country of “pinkwashing”. This is an allegation that promoting LGBTQ culture is a way of detracting from human rights violations in the Palestinian Territories. Some people believe you cannot celebrate the rights of some minorities while ignoring others’ lack of them. The documentary raises these questions and seeks to answer them by telling the true story of how Israel’s LGBTQ community came into being.
THE PROMISED BAND is the story of a fake rock band comprised of Israeli and Palestinian women who have decided that, despite their dubious musical talent, a music group is the best cover story to meet and interact with each other.
White Night looks at the female side of the illegal Palestinian worker equation. Night after night a group of Palestinian women go on a border-crossing journey to Israel in order to support their children. On these nightly journeys, they share with each other their pain, hopes and dreams.
Dr. Stalnikowicz moved to Israel from Chile in 1973 just six months before the military coup. She found work at the hospital, fell in love with it, and has never left. She doesn't find it difficult to work at the hospital on a personal level, but the geography makes it hard for both sides to communicate. As one patient puts it, everyone suffers in the hospital, regardless of which side they're on. Sometimes, Israeli soldiers arrive, creating feelings of antagonism, or what Dr. Stalnikowicz calls "silent violence." Patients from the occupied territories are often carried in by family members because ambulances can't reach them. There is talk of Dr. Salameh running the ER in the future. Dr. Stalnikowicz tells Dr. Salameh that she wants to leave behind someone who can do good things, but Dr. Salameh isn't sure she would be comfortable after Dr. Stalnikowicz left. She also doesn't think she would be given the opportunity because she's Palestinian Israeli. Dr. Stalnikowicz wishes that the hospital could serve as a microcosm for Israel. Dr. Salameh laments how far from reality that is. The two women drive home at the end of another day at the ER. JERUSALEM ER moves beyond bigotry and daily difficulties to expose an irrepressible dedication to providing equal heath care to Israelis. The hospital is proof of the capability of people from various beliefs to exist under one roof with a common goal in mind. Ultimately, the story moves deeper than the personal encounters of doctors and patients, as the internal frame of the hospital shows how differences can be set aside for the well being of all individuals.
