Highlighting the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
“I’ve been involved in a lot of Israeli films for a while now,” said Paul Cadieux, of Montreal distribution company Filmoption International. “They have an important story to tell.”
Cadieux is at Sundance with not one but two international co-productions about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. To be representing two out of 10 contenders in the World Cinema Documentary Competition of the most prestigious independent film festival in the U.S. is quite the achievement. But Cadieux doesn’t let it go to his head.
“I’m not a guy who thinks about that,” he said. “Destiny has brought it, I guess. But I’m not a guy who goes out there and brags about stuff. En français: je m’affiche pas.
“My staff is yelling at me about our website not being cool enough. I’m not worried about that. When you do the right things, it’s not about the hype — that’s not my style. If (the attention) helps and I can get more interesting films to see the light of day, I’m thrilled.”
He has two highly interesting films in hand at Sundance: Rachel Leah Jones and Philippe Bellaïche’s Advocate, an Israeli-Canadian-Swiss documentary about Israeli human rights lawyer Lea Tsemel, who has spent the past five decades defending Palestinians of all stripes in her country’s courts; and Garry Keane and Andrew McConnell’s Gaza, an affecting portrait of the inhabitants of the troubled territory.
Advocate premièred Jan. 25, at landmark Sundance venue The Egyptian Theatre. After the screening, the filmmakers were joined by Tsemel herself, who received a standing ovation as she took the stage.
“It’s really, really very embarrassing,” the lawyer said, of having a film made about her. “I’m not so humble, but what am I supposed to do with it? Do I deserve it? What have I done to gain it?”
Lots, it turns out. Jones and Bellaïche’s riveting documentary follows their fearless subject as she barrels through difficult cases — including that of a 13-yearold boy involved in a stabbing incident; and a woman behind an apparent suicide bombing attempt — within an Israeli court system stacked squarely against her clients.
She doesn’t win many cases under such conditions. Victories, she explains in the film, come not in verdicts but in increments, such as getting a one-year reduction on a five-year sentence; or in simply standing up for the humanity of those she represents. Tsemel views her work as a civic duty.
“I see it as a must,” she said, “an absolute necessity. I already have seven grandchildren. It’s what I have to do to help create the possibility for a livable future.”
On screen, Tsemel is a firebrand, never at a loss for a quip or a retort, working tirelessly while dispensing wisdom, humour and moral outrage in equal amounts.
“If I’m honest, when I was younger I wanted to be her,” said Jones, who was born and raised in Israel but has lived in the U.S. for the past 25 years.
“Having watched her work in the last few years, I understand that’s utterly impossible. She’s exceptional, and made from slightly different material than normal people.”
Tsemel has received no shortage of grief over the years, including death threats, from fellow Israelis. Being an Israeli lawyer defending Palestinians is not a burden, she explained, but simply the only thing that makes sense.
“I do it because it’s a justified cause, because we’re morally correct and it’s legally right according to international law. I’m an Israeli and I never forget it. This is what, as an Israeli, I should do.”
The world première for Gaza, Tuesday afternoon, was marked by the absence of two members of the film team: Gazan fixer and production manager Fady Hossam, and one of the film’s subjects, theatre director Ali Abu Yaseen. The two men were not able to get out of Gaza due to the territory’s border with Egypt being closed.
“It’s such a shame. It’s bittersweet today,” McConnell said, “but that speaks volumes about the reality of life in Gaza.”
Inspired by a photo series McConnell made on surfers in Gaza, the Irish-Canadian co-production expanded its scope to include a wide range of people going about their daily routines in difficult conditions.
“The biggest problem we had was gaining people’s trust,” Keane said, “convincing them their story was worthy to be told. They’re very humble people, and they couldn’t understand why anyone would have an interest to come in and ask them about their lives.”
The post-screening Q&A was interrupted by a brief shouting match between Palestinian and Israeli supporters, however the filmmakers emphasize that their aim is not political per se, but rather to show the human toll of the standoff on Gaza’s inhabitants.
“It’s about promoting understanding, and a deeper insight,” McConnell said. “It’s important to show the effects of this blockade. The eyes of the world have turned away. It’s been 12 years now, and the blockade is not working. It’s the cause of an impending humanitarian disaster, and it’s unjustifiable.”
Filmoption came in on the tail end of the five-year project, bringing essential support to get the film finished, including one last trip to the region in March of last year, and overseeing post-production in Montreal in the fall.
Cadieux hopes his company’s support can help get these and other important stories out into the world.
“My connection to Israel and the Middle East is sort of a fluke,” he said. “I’m interested in being involved with projects that make a difference. If (these films) can influence things and change the perspective of the largest possible audience, that’s what I’m motivated by.”