THIS IS MY LAND . . . HEBRON
(North American premiere)
Monday, June 27 | 4 p.m.
Tuesday, June 28 | 6:30 p.m.
Wednesday, June 29 | 9 p.m.
Featuring interviews with both Israelis and Palestinians living in Hebron, as well as activists on both sides, members of the Israeli parliament and prominent Ha'aretz journalists, This Is My Land... Hebron lifts the lid on Hebron as it is today - a city fraught with violence and hate. Giulia Amati and Stephen Natanson's documentary examines the largest city in the occupied West Bank, home to 160,000 Palestinians. It is also home to one of the first Israeli settlements in the West Bank and the only one right in the heart of a Palestinian city. Once a bustling hub of activity, the city center now resembles a ghost town. A colony of 600 Israeli settlers lives in the city center, requiring a garrison of more than 2,000 Israeli soldiers to defend them. The cultural and economic life of the town is being suffocated. It's a war between neighbors where the main goals are to conquer one more meter of the city, keep the enemy at bay, and simply stand one's ground.
Screening followed by discussion with filmmakers Giulia Amati and Stephen Natanson. Presented in partnership with Human Rights Watch Film Festival.
LIFE, ABOVE ALL
(New York premiere)
Closing Night Film and Reception
Thursday, June 30 | 7 p.m.
Exploring cultural taboos, adolescence, and religion through the lens of HIV/AIDS, a poorly understood and much-feared disease, Life, Above All brings us into the life of a young girl as she struggles to maintain the facade of a normal life amidst utter instability. The spread of HIV/AIDS appears to be ravaging Chanda's South African township even though no one will speak the actual words. When her mother's illness becomes apparent, the community turns against Chanda's family. Her mother chooses to leave home on the advice of a well-meaning but overbearing neighbor, who has her own secrets. Filmmaker Oliver Schmitz instills his film with a keen sense of insight and emotional gravitas that is at once artful and accessible. Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics. US theatrical release July 15, 2011.
Screening followed by discussion with Filmmaker Oliver Schmitz and Lead Actress Khomotso Manyaka, with reception to follow. Presented in partnership with African Film Festival, Inc. and Human Rights Watch Film Festival.
