The Wanted 18
Through a clever mix of stop motion animation and
interviews, The Wanted 18 recreates an astonishing true story: the
Israeli army's pursuit of 18 cows, whose independent milk production on a
Palestinian collective farm was declared "a threat to the national
security of the state of Israel." In response to the Israeli occupation of
the West Bank, a group of people from the town of Beit Sahour decide to buy 18
cows and produce their own milk as a co-operative. Their venture is so
successful that the collective farm becomes a landmark, and the cows local
celebrities—until the Israeli army takes note and declares that the farm is an
illegal security threat. Consequently, the dairy is forced to go underground,
the cows continuing to produce their "Intifada milk" with the Israeli
army in relentless pursuit. Recreating the story of the "wanted 18"
from the perspectives of the Beit Sahour activists, Israeli military officials,
and the cows, Palestinian artist Amer Shomali and veteran Canadian director
Paul Cowan create an enchanting, inspirational tribute to the ingenuity and
power of grassroots activism.
Opens theatrically at the Cinema Village in New
York on June 19, 2015.
Filmmaker(s): Amer Shomali and Paul Cowan
Country of Production: Canada/Palestine/France
Year: 2014
75m
Language(s): In English and Arabic and Hebrew
with English subtitles
Genre: Documentary
Filmmaker Bio(s): Amer Shomali
Amer Shomali is a Palestinian artist and worked as
multimedia designer at Birzeit University and ZAN Studio in Ramallah,
Palestine. He uses art and technology to design posters, political cartoons and
short animation to support local and international political campaigns and open
local social debates.
Distributor: Kino
Lorber
Film Website: The Wanted 18 film website
Presented in partnership with: Just Vision
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been so violent
that observers often forget the history of Palestinian non-violent protest
against Israel's occupation policies. Human Rights Watch has researched
numerous cases where Israeli forces, acting on military orders that make any
Palestinian protest virtually illegal, have used excessive force to suppress
peaceful demonstrations against unlawful confiscation of land for settlements,
and jailed protest leaders and human rights defenders. In a context of
widespread rights abuses, Palestinians have been squeezed from all sides: by the
Israeli army, as well as by the Palestinian Authority and Hamas that have also
suppressed their right to peaceful assembly and free expression.
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