5 Broken Cameras

The struggles and successes of non-violent protest are at the center of this eye-opening documentary from co-directors Emad Burnat (Palestinian) and Guy Davidi (Israeli), who build 5 Broken Cameras around footage that Burnat shot using consumer-grade equipment. A native of the occupied West Bank village of Bil'in, Burnat narrates, offering a personal perspective on Israeli-Palestinian relations. A father of four, Burnat describes himself as a "fellah" or peasant. After the birth of his son, Gibreel, in 2005, Burnat bought a camera, noting that throughout his life, he has watched his community lose land to Israeli settlements. Deciding to document every subsequent development, Burnat becomes Bil'in's official cameraman. But while gaining a sense of purpose, Burnat also loses one camera after another during the turbulence that surrounds him. "When I film," he says, "I feel safe, but it's an illusion." Burnat's material captures demonstrations, tree-burning, tear-gassing, and other sights unlikely to be witnessed by Westerners, including the arrests of his three brothers and the shooting of a friend. As a contrast, Burnat also films Gibreel over five years as he grows up in a close-knit community that also becomes increasingly dangerous. Although the underlying politics are more complicated, Burnat depicts such peaceful protests that it's hard to feel much sympathy for the Israeli security forces, who are quick on the trigger, even when confronted by child protestors. Eventually, Burnat is arrested and taken in for questioning, but continues to film upon his release. Putting a human face on a half-century-plus conflict, this Sundance Film Festival award-winner is highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (K. Fennessy)