Untitled (Erasing The Major Museums)

Creator: Meir Gal | 1996

“Every aerial photograph taken in Israel must be submitted to an army censor for inspection in order to check if state military secrets have been disclosed. The censor then erases from the photographs the areas used for military purposes as well as facilities and institutions whose function is to enhance and protect state security. Photographers are forbidden to show these erased areas and failure to comply is considered a violation of state security.

Museums in Israel have ignored the political realities within which they are operating.  Not only have they not offered any resistance to or critique of the state ideology, but for the most part have supported and collaborated with government offices and the army. As such, museums are nothing but a disguised function of state apparatus and therefore should be officially perceived as military facilities.  I therefore decided, in compliance with army regulations, to erase museums, like other security sensitive institutions, so that their location will not be disclosed and state security compromised.”

Gaza / Sderot

Creator: Arte France  with Alexandre Brachet| 2008

“Life in Spite of Everything” is the motto of “Gaza / Sderot”

“This impressive online documentary project reports on the day-to-day experiences of men, women and children on both sides of the Palestinian-Israeli border, in Gaza (Palestine) and Sderot (Israel): their lives and their survival on a daily basis. Over the course of two months, two two-minute films are being placed on the site each day. Under difficult living conditions and the threat of air attacks and bombings, people do keep on working, loving and dreaming. Life in spite of everything.”

Found here

Not the Israel My Parents Promised Me

Creator: Harvey Pekar & JT Waldman | 2012

“In this graphic novel, legendary comic book writer Harvey Pekar and illustrator JT Waldman examine Pekar’s disillusionment with the State of Israel. Pekar and Waldman weave together Jewish history with Pekar’s memories from his childhood experiences as the son of ardent Zionists. Published two years after his death, the book captures Pekar’s talent for unabashed truth-telling.”

Found here

When I Stretch Forth Mine Hand

Creator: Omar Robert Hamilton | 2009

This short was part of the Gaza’s Winter collection, and uses the work of Palestinian poet Suheir Hammad to portray the tense relationship between Egypt, Palestine and Israel. 

Found here

Falafel Road

Creator: Larissa Sansour | 2010   

“Did Israel steal the falafel from the Palestinians? This seemingly silly question is a precursor to an investigation into the intentional and systematic hijacking and eradication of Palestinian cultural history by the state of Israel.”  

Found here

Om Mohammad

Creator: Dani Lagartofernández | 2011

“Sabah is a woman from Khuza’ah, a Gaza village located on the Israeli border. She directs the local association Beit Almostuqbul, which provides support to village women and families who don’t receive any social assistance. She is a widow and lives together with four of her five children. Her and her family have seen their lands and farms get destroyed by Israeli bulldozers creating a “buffer zone” along the entire border. This is not the only challenge faced by Sabah and her family. In Gaza, the economy is strained, free speech is limited, and opportunities are scarce. Sabah’s eldest son, Mohammad, fled to Spain after the Israeli bombardment of Gaza in 2008. He is still in Spain, living as a political refugee. Sabah thinks of her son and prays every day for his return. At the same time, she sees how one of her other sons, Abdo, shares the same desperate will to escape Gaza. Om Mohammad is a portrait of the daily life, problems, and expectations shared by many women in Gaza.”

Found here

Compromised Lands (Terres Compromises)

Creator: Matthieu Gafsou | 2010   

“Terres compromises (compromised lands) is a series of forty-five shots from October 2010, during a one month journey through Jordan, the West Bank, and Israel. The son of a Jewish father, he was compelled by curiosity to visit these places with great  historical importance. Gafsou was intrigued by the structures of Israeli cities, and decided to focus his work on this. Usually perched on hill or mountain sides, the buildings are mostly identical and closely packed. For Gafsou, the way space is used reflects a desire of domination, much like unreachable medieval fortresses. As a blast from the past, we find in some pictures the archeological site of Masada, the well-known and tragic Jewish fortress from antiquity. The Terres compromises photographs capture moments that seem unpredictably serene. They mark a poetic break, a surreal “freezed frame”, from a land that itself is frozen by a seemingly endless conflict.”

Found here

Ashkelon Prison Series - 1 

Creator: Mohammed Roukwie | 1983   

“Committee for the Defense of Palestinian Prisoners and Detainees in the Prisons of Israel”   

Found here

USA

Creator: Adnan Yahya | 1998   

“His portrait is a bitter caricature of Israel’s current Prime Minister Ariel Sharon depicted in the act of torturing a Palestinian.  The box of matches marked with the US flag refers to the vast military aid that the United States government provides to Israel, and the painted internal framing devices also remind the viewer of the role of the United States in encouraging Israel’s ongoing aggression. The lurid colors communicate a sense of the deathly, unnatural and unhealthy atmosphere that Sharon’s rightwing government has fostered.”   

Found here

Slingshot Hip Hop

Creator: Jackie Salloum | 2008   

“Slingshot Hip Hop braids together the stories of young Palestinians living in Gaza, the West Bank and inside Israel as they discover Hip Hop and employ it as a tool to surmount divisions imposed by occupation and poverty.  From internal checkpoints and Separation Walls to gender norms and generational differences, this is the story of young people crossing the borders that separate them.”   

Found here