Palestinian Film Festival | To See if I'm Smiling (Lir’ot Im Ani Mehayechet)
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Cinema Politica London
Friday January 30, 2009
Screening begins 22h00
Venue: Wemple Lounge | Kings University College | 266 Epworth Ave.
Passionate and poignant, the Palestinian Film Festival is a celebration of Palestinian cinema and culture.
Presented by Cinema Politica London | Centre for Social Concern - Social Justice and Peace Club King's University College.
This festival is co-sponsored by People for Peace.
The bombings in Gaza are over just in time for Obama to become the new US president, but that doesn't mean important and powerful media on Palestine/Israel isn't still needed.
Please join us for first film festival of the Winter 2009 Cinema Politica London programmer. It will be a night of powerful moving images that show the complexities of the conflict and occupation in the Middle East - from both an Israeli and Palestinian perspective. Everyone is welcome. Our six films can be founded listed in separate events. Watch one or immerse yourself for the night and watch them all.
Admission is by-donation.
Bring a blanket, a pillow, anything you need to get comfortable. Fair trade organic coffee with fair trade organic sugar, fair trade organic cream or fair trade organic soy milk will be available compliments of Social Justice and Peace Club King's University College. BYOM - Bring Your Own Mug.
To See if I'm Smiling (Lir’ot Im Ani Mehayechet)
Six female former soldiers reveal the pshychological scars of serving in the Occupied Territories.
Tamar Yarom / Israel / 2007 / 60 min / Hebrew with English subtitles
Israel is the only country in the world where 18-year-old girls are drafted for compulsory military service. In this award-winning documentary, the frank testimonials of six female Israeli soldiers stationed in Gaza and the West Bank pack a powerful emotional punch. The young women revisit their tours of duty in the occupied territories with surprising honesty and strip bare stereotypes of gender differences in the military. The former soldiers share shocking moments of negligence, flippancy, immaturity and power-tripping as they describe atrocities they witnessed and participated in.
The psychological transformation that these young women underwent as a result of military service is both upsetting and riveting. The culture of war transforms people: personalities change, moral codes are subverted, values are supplanted and masks are constructed to dull the pain of what they did and didn't do in uniform. At a time when women in the military are increasingly on the frontlines, and the actions of soldiers all over the world are being questioned, this powerful film explores the ways that gender, ethics and moral responsibility intersect during war. [Description taken from Women Make Movies]
Credits
Directed by
Tamar Yarom
Writing credits
(in alphabetical order)
Tamar Yarom writer
Produced by
Tamar Yarom .... producer
Original Music by
Jonathan Bar-Giora
Cinematography by
Shiri Bar-On
Daniel Gal
Itamar Mendes-Flor
Film Editing by
Eyal Or
Awards & Festivals
Int’l Doc FF Amsterdam (IDFA), Silver Wolf Award
Int’l Doc FF, Amsterdam (IDFA), Audience Award
Hot Docs, Special Jury Price
WATCH DOCS: Human Rights Int'l Film Festival, Jacek Kuron Short
Documentary Competition First Prize
Sarasota FF, Special Documentary Jury Prize
Haifa Int’l FF, Best Documentary
Dokufest, Best Feature Documentary
Israeli Documentary Competition, Best Documentary
Montpellier Festival, Documentary Prize
* New Orleans Middle East FF
* Boston Jewish FF
* Washington Jewish FF
* Palm Beach Jewish FF
* Hot Docs Canadian Int'l FF
* Sarasota FFl
* Calgary Jewish FF
* Visual Arts Center, Richmond
* Human Rights Watch Int'l Traveling FF
* Human Rights Watch Int'l FF, NY
* One World Int’l Human Rights Doc FF, Prague
* FICCO, Festival Int'l of Contemporary Cinema, Mexico City
* ZagrebDox - Int'l Doc FF, Croatia
* Full Frame Doc FF
* San Francisco Jewish FF
* Toronto Jewish FF
* DOXA Vancouver
Film site & Reviews
(For venue information and directions, see the local page.)
