CHILDREN
by Ada Ushpiz
SYNOPSIS
There are children, too, among the Palestinian insurgents - the third generation of the occupation. For some time now, the Israeli side has observed minors who take an active part in an Intifada, especially with knives. Pawns in a life they did not choose, they are forced to become adults before their time, as hundreds are in prison with very little judicial support. Ada Ushpiz, filmmaker and journalist, comes surprisingly close to some of the Palestinian families concerned. She has accompanied the dubious insurgents over several years and witnessed terrible pressure.
Freshly released from prison, 12-year-old Dima encounters a crowd of television people. A few months ago, she was caught with a knife. The attack was said to be aimed at Jewish Israelis. Now, in a frenzy of camera flashes, her mother stands close by her side. But instead of offering protection she assumes the role of an agitator, demanding that her daughter report how she was treated by the Israelis. But Dima remains silent. Her family describes the pubescent girl as mentally handicapped. Dareen is younger than Dima and lives with her brothers, father and a few snakes in the immediate vicinity of their Israeli neighbours. Soldiers stalk the house, sometimes stones fly, Shin Bet, Israel’s domestic intelligence service, is allegedly involved. In her astonishing film, Ushpiz shows a life in constant tension.
DETAILS
128 mins
2020
Israel
Arabic, Hebrew, English
TRAILER
CREDITS
Director: Ada Ushpiz
Producer: Ada Ushpiz - AUFilms
In co-production with: HOT 8
Supported by: NFCT
In association with: RTS
Cinematographer: Danor Glazer, Bilal Saed
Editor: Neta Braun
Sound: Aviv Aldema
Music: Avi Balleli
BIOGRAPHY
DIRECTOR - ADA USHPIZ
Ada Ushpiz is a renowned Israeli film producer and director. She has a B.A. in philosophy and M.A. in history from Tel Aviv University and a significant journalistic experience in political-social writing for the prestigious Ha'aretz newspaper. She directed a number of remarkable documentaries in recent years – Detained (2001), Bloody Engagement (2004), Desert Brides (2008) and Good Garbage (2012) – which have been awarded numerous awards in Israel and around the world.
SELECT FESTIVALS
JERUSALEM FILM FESTIVAL 2020 – BEST DOCUMENTARY & BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY AWARDS〡DOK LEIPZIG 2020〡DOCPOINT HELSINKI 2021〡DOC EDGE 2021 – AROUND THE WORLD IN NINE FILMS AWARD〡HOTDOCS 2021〡DOCUDAYS 2021〡DOCS BARCELONA 2021〡GIFFONI FILM FESTIVAL 2021〡AGAINST GRAVITY 2021〡FILMFESTIVAL KITZBÜHEL 2021〡VERZIO FILM FESTIVAL 2021
PRESS
"A revealing and sobering watch... so much powerful material."
- Jonathan Romney, Screendaily
"Ushpiz has managed to build an extremely close connection with Dima and Dareen and their families, and spends a lot of time filming in their homes, capturing relationships and dynamics that truly immerse the audience in the children's worlds."
- Vladan Petkovic, Cineuropa
"Honest"
- Geoffrey Macnab, Business Doc Europe