5 Broken Cameras - Fireside Film Night - TIM LOUIS

Despite worldwide calls for a ceasefire, the Israeli-Hamas war persists and all of us continue to be terribly distraught about Israel’s brutal assault on Gaza’s unarmed civilians.

While this violence will come to an end sooner or later, it is bound to be repeated if we do not address the underlying reason for this conflict – Israel’s stubborn refusal to allow Palestinians living in Gaza and the West Bank to have freedom from occupation and economic blockade.

Understanding the conflict as both a historical and a current issue is increasingly important, given the ongoing genocide of Palestinian civilians.

This month’s Fireside Film Night on Friday November 24^th will feature 5 Broken Cameras, an on-the-ground look at the violence that the Israeli military has inflicted and continues to inflict upon Palestinian civilians.

This documentary film, co-directed by Palestinian farmer Emad Burnat and Israeli Guy Davidi, was shot primarily by Bumat at his home in the West Bank village of Bil’n. Bumat bought his first camera in 2005, the same year that Israel began to destroy agricultural land in the village to construct a barrier between Bil’n and a neighbouring Israeli kibbutz.

As Bumat follows the growth of his son on camera, he also records further Israeli encroachments in the area and the resistance of his family, friends, and neighbours. Over the years, he has five cameras successively ruined during the fighting. Their destruction provides the framework for the film.

5 Broken Cameras won awards at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival, the 2012 Yerevan International Film Festival, Armenia, and the 2013 International Emmy Award for Best Documentary Film. It was nominated for a 2013 Academy Award.

Please join us on Friday November 24^th on Zoom for the very timely presentation of 5 Broken Cameras. The free event opens at 6:30 p.m. and the movie starts at 7:00.