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Description:

When the residents of Budrus learn that the Israeli army plans to build the Separation Barrier through their town, cutting them off from neighboring Palestinian villages and uprooting their precious olive groves, they decide to organize. Under the leadership of Ayed Morrar, Palestinian men of all political factions come together to wage an unarmed struggle to preserve their lands. Victory seems unlikely until Ayed’s 15-year-old daughter steps in to organize a female contingent that brings the women of Budrus to the front lines in a tense stand-off with the military.

As word of the nonviolent protest spreads, Israeli citizens, international activists and Palestinians from other villages join the people of Budrus to demand that the Barrier be moved. Struggling side by side, father and daughter unleash an inspiring, yet little-known movement that is still gaining ground today. Featuring interviews with unarmed demonstrators, Israeli soldiers and the citizens of Budrus, this harrowing, action-filled, and ultimately inspiring documentary has given hope to audiences around the world with its story of the ground-breaking nonviolent movement spreading across the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

DVD Special Features:
Trailer
Q&A with Director
Checkpoints Award
“What’s your Calling”
Language: Arabic, Hebrew & English | Subtitles: English

Reviews:

“A poignant chronicle… This inspiring  documentary stresses peaceful resistance as the best means of conflict resolution.” - Variety

“A complex … documentary that shows a balanced picture of its competing protagonists. It finds a story for the future… in the shape of a social movement driven by pragmatism.”  - Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitun

“A moving sliver of hope that nonviolent resistance may yet blossom out of violence.” – New York Magazine

“A powerful film filled with the kind of hope you rarely see around this issue.” – Michael Moore

“ This story is a journey that stretches beyond borders to provide hope, and it should be seen by everyone.” – Jessica Alba, Actress

“A strong piece of work from intelligent filmmakers.” – The Jewish Week

“Budrus chronicles a small victory in a much larger and uncertain battle, but with so much hopelessness in the region, it’s worth highlighting and, hopefully, emulating.” – The Nation

Trailer:

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In Theaters

At Festivals

Winner, Bellingham Human Rights Film Festival, 2011
Winner, Inaugural Ridenhour Documentary Film Prize, 2011
Winner, Amnesty’s Matter of Act Human Rights Award, 2011
Winner, Panorama Audience Award Second Prize, Berlin International Film Festival, 2010
Winner, Special Jury Mention, Tribeca Film Festival, 2010
Winner, Audience Award, San Francisco International Film Festival, 2010
Winner, Honorable Mention Spirit of Freedom Award, Jerusalem International Film Festival 2010
Winner, Witness Award at Silverdocs Film Festival, 2010
Winner, Honorable Mention of the Jury, Documenta Madrid 10
Winner, Amnesty Italia Award, Pesaro Film Festival, 2010
Winner, Founders Prize, Best of Fest, Nonfiction, Traverse City Film Festival, 2010
Winner, Checkpoints Award, Bergen International Film Festival, 2010
Winner, Festival des Libertés Prize, Festival des Libertés, 2010
Winner, Spirit of Freedom Documentary Award, Bahamas International Film Festival, 2010

Cultural Bridge Gala, Dubai International Film Festival, 2009

Official Selection, Human Rights Watch International Film Festival London, 2010

Official Selection, Thessaloniki International Film Festival, 2010

Official Selection, E Tudo Verdade/It’s All True Film Festival, 2010

Official Selection, Hot Docs Film Festival, 2010

Official Selection, Sydney Film Festival, 2010

Official Selection, Planete Doc Review, 2010

Official Selection, Documentarist Film Festival, Istanbul, 2010

Official Selection, DokuFest Kosovo, 2010

Official Selection, Woods Hole Film Festival, 2010

Official Selection, Rhode Island International Film Festival, 2010

Official Selection, EBS International Documentary Festival, Korea, 2010

Official Selection, Festival do Rio, 2010

Official Selection, Take One Action Film Festival, 2010

Official Selection, Bergen International Film Festival, Norway, 2010

Official Selection, Mumbai International Film Festival, 2010

Official Selection, Festival des Libertes, 2010

Official Selection, Doha Tribeca Film Festival, 2010

Official Selection, Jihlava International Documentary Festival, 2010

Official Selection, St. Louis International Film Festival, 2010

Official Selection, Milwaukee International Film Festival, 2010

Official Selection, Palm Beach Jewish Film Festival, 2010

Official Selection, Jakarta International Film Festival, 2010

Official Selection, Bend Film Festival, 2010

Official Selection, Toronto Palestine Film Festival, 2010

Official Selection, Boston Palestine Film Festival, 2010

Official Selection, Arab Film Festival, 2010

Official Selection, Rehoboth Beach Film Festival, 2010

Official Selection, Ad Hoc: Inconvenient Films, 2010

Official Selection, One World Film Festival, 2010

Official Selection, Lens Politica Film Festival, 2010

Official Selection, Doha Tribeca Film Festival, 2010

Official Selection, Reykjavik International Film Festival, 2010

Official Selection, Camden International Film Festival, 2010

Official Selection, Palestine Human Rights Film Festival, 2010

Official Selection, Global Peace Film Festival, 2010

Official Selection, International Women’s Film Festival, 2010

Official Selection, San Francisco Jewish Film Festival, 2010

Additional Awards:

Winner, King Hussein Leadership Prize, 2009

Description:

Inspired by real events, documentary filmmaker Saverio Costanzo’s feature debut is a minimalist psychological drama about a Palestinian family of seven suddenly confronted with a volatile situation in their home that in many ways reflects the larger ongoing conflict between Palestine and Israel.

Winner of a Golden Leopard at the Locarno Film Festival, Private is convincingly shot in a documentary style with a hand-held camera and a quick pace. Director Costanzo has created a unique occasion for both Israeli and Palestinian actors to work together, and being an outsider himself, he has worked to maintain a neutral standpoint while dramatizing the conflict.

Official Selection of the 2005 Vancouver International Film Festival and San Francisco International Film Festival

Reviews:

“. . . acted with fierce conviction”
- Village Voice

“. . . captures [war’s] harrowing complexities with unerring accuracy”
- Toronto Int’l Film Festival

“. . . an effectively didactic thriller”
- Philadelphia Inquirer

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At Festivals

This film is no longer at film festivals.

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Description:

Just when the world is losing hope for the possibility of resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict comes Encounter Point . Created by a Palestinian, Israeli, North and South American team, Encounter Point moves beyond sensational and dogmatic imagery to tell the story of an Israeli settler, a Palestinian ex-prisoner, a bereaved Israeli mother and a wounded Palestinian bereaved brother who risk their safety and public standing to press for an end to the conflict. They are at the vanguard of a movement to push Palestinian and Israeli societies to a tipping point, forging a new consensus for nonviolence and peace. Perhaps years from now, their actions will be recognized as a catalyst for constructive change in the region. Encounter Point is a film about hope, true courage and implicitly about the silence of journalists and politicians who pay little attention to vital grassroots peace efforts.

Encounter Point ‘s Israeli/Palestinian/North American/ Brazilian production team of young women includes: director & producer Ronit Avni (formerly of WITNESS), co-director Julia Bacha (co-writer/editor of the award-winning documentary Control Room ), producers Nahanni Rous and Joline Makhlouf, the first Palestinian female pilot. Encounter Point was edited in Jerusalem and Park Slope, Brooklyn, and features original music by Kareem Roustom, who combines classical Arabic melodies and instruments with traditional Jewish Klezmer to form a harmonious fusion that mirrors the subject matter.

Encounter Point ‘s World Premiere was at the 2006 Tribeca Film Festival. The Canadian premiere was at Hot Docs, and the West Coast premiere was at the San Francisco International Film Festival, where it won the Audience Award for Best Documentary. Encounter Point has subsequently won the 2006 Audience Award for Best Documentary at the Rencontres Film Festival in Montreal, the Best Musical Score Award at the Bend Film Festival and the 2006 Spirit of Freedom Award at the Bahamas Film Festival. It has screened in Dubai, Jerusalem, Jenin and more than 35 other cities worldwide.

A 52-minute classroom version of Encounter Point is now available for institutional purchase.

Reviews:

“It isn’t often that you see a film about Israelis and Palestinians that can be called hopeful, but Ronit Avni’s assured, thoughtful and clear-eyed documentary certainly qualifies. ”
- Anita Gates, New York Times

“It may not break any new aesthetic ground, but Encounter Point might just be the most optimistic film about this conflict you’ll ever see.”
- Bilge Ebri, New York Magazine

“A riveting documentary. . . blazes with a kind of spiritual grace.”
- Village Voice

Trailer:

In Theaters

1/19/2011 – Pine Hills Branch Albany Public Library (517 Western Ave. Albany, NY)

At Festivals

This film is no longer at film festivals.