ADVOCATE
by Rachel Leah Jones & Philippe Bellaiche
SYNOPSIS
Lea Tsemel defends Palestinians: from feminists to fundamentalists, from nonviolent demonstrators to armed militants. As a Jewish-Israeli lawyer who has represented political prisoners for five decades, Tsemel, in her tireless quest for justice, pushes the praxis of a human rights defender to its limits. As far as most Israelis are concerned, she defends the indefensible. As far as Palestinians are concerned, she's more than an attorney, she’s an ally.
ADVOCATE follows Tsemel’s caseload in real time, including the high-profile trial of a 13-year-old boy — her youngest client to date — while also revisiting her landmark cases and reflecting on the political significance of her work and the personal price one pays for taking on the role of “devil’s advocate.” Directing duo Rachel Leah Jones and Philippe Bellaiche assume the privileged position of a fly on the wall of Tsemel’s practice, where a year of documenting is like gathering a lifetime of evidence. This evidence attests to the wrongs of occupation but also to the faults of those who try to resist it, the failings of those who try to defend them, and the fundamental flaws of a legal system that purports to serve justice but in fact serves the powers that be.
DETAILS
108 mins
2019
Israel, Canada, Switzerland
Hebrew, Arabic
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TRAILER
CREDITS
Directed by Rachel Leah Jones, Philippe Bellaiche
Produced by Philippe Bellaiche & Rachel Leah Jones - Home Made Docs, Paul Cadieux - FilmOption, Joelle Bertossa - Close Up Films
Co-Produced by Channel 8, CBC/Radio Canada, RTS, SWR, NDR, EO/IKONdocs, BBC Storyville
Produced in collaboration with Blue Ice Docs
With the support/participation of DR, YLE, SVT, VGTV
Supported by Bertha Foundation, OFC, CineForum, Makor Foundation, Sundance Documentary Fund
With the help of CoPro, Hotdocs Forum, IDFA Forum, Gotham IFP
BIOGRAPHY
DIRECTOR - RACHEL LEAH JONES
Born in Berkeley, California in 1970 and raised between Berkeley and Tel Aviv, Jones is a critically acclaimed documentary filmmaker whose work focuses on Israel/Palestine. She has a BA in Race, Class and Gender Studies and a MFA in Documentary Media Arts. Her directing credits include: 500DUNAM ON THE MOON (2002) commissioned by France Channel 2; ASHKENAZ (2007) commissioned by Israel Channel 8; TARGETED CITIZEN (2010) commissioned by Adalah: the Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel; and GYPSY DAVY (2012) commissioned by Israel Channel 8 (Sundance 2012). In addition to making her own films, Jones has produced extensively with others, e.g. WALL by Simone Bitton (Cannes 2004; Special Jury Prize Sundance 2005) and has been affiliated with progressive media outlets such as DEMOCRACY NOW! in New York.
DIRECTOR - PHILIPPE BELLAICHE
Born in Paris, France in 1967, Bellaiche is an award-winning DP whose credits include BETWEEN FENCES (Berlin 2016); ONCE I ENTERED A GARDEN (Rome 2012); Z32 (Venice 2008); and AVENGE BUT ONE OF MY TWO EYES (Cannes 2005) by Avi Mograbi; THE SETTLERS (Sundance 2016) and HOTHOUSE (Special Jury Prize Sundance 2007) by Shimon Dotan; GYPSY DAVY (Sundance 2012) by Rachel Leah Jones; THE FLAT (Tribeca 2012; Israel Academy Award 2011) by Arnon Goldfinger; INCESSANT VISIONS (Jerusalem 2011), THE JOURNEY OF VAN NGUYEN (IDFA 2005) and RAGING DOVE (First Prize Doc Aviv 2002; Certificate of Merit SFIFF 2002) by Duki Dror; ROUTE 181:FRAGMENTS OF A JOURNEY THROUGH PALESTINE/ISRAEL (Second Prize Yamagata 2005) by Eyal Sivan and Michel Khleifi; FROM LANGUAGE TO LANGUAGE (First Prize Doc Aviv 2004) by Nurith Aviv; FORGET BAGHDAD(FIPRESCI Award Locarno 2002) by Samir Jamal al-Din. A cinematography lecturer and master class teacher, Bellaiche also received the Cinema Arts Award in 2013.
SELECT FESTIVALS
SUNDANCE 2019〡THESSALONIKI 2019 - BEST INTERNATIONAL DOCUMENTARY & FIPRESCI AWARDS〡FIFDH GENEVA 2019〡HONG KONG INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2019 - JURY PRIZE〡CPH:DOX 2019〡IT’S ALL TRUE 2019〡HOT DOCS 2019〡DOK.FEST MÜNCHEN 2019〡DOCAVIV 2019 - BEST ISRAELI FILM AWARD〡KRAKOW FILM FESTIVAL 2019 - GOLDEN HORN AWARD〡BIOGRAFILM 2019〡SHEFFIELD DOC FEST 2019〡HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH FILM FESTIVAL 2019〡DOCEDGE 2019〡DOKUFEST KOSOVO 2019〡ANTENNA 2019 - BEST FILM & AUDIENCE AWARDS〡FESTIVAL DE LIBERTÉS 2019 - PRIX SMART〡VERZIO 2019 - BEST HUMAN RIGHTS FILM AWARD〡TAIPEI GOLDEN HORSE FILM FESTIVAL 2019〡DOCNYC 2019〡IDFA 2019〡FIPADOC 2020〡DOCPOINT HELSINKI 2020
PRESS
“A textured nonfiction character study of complicated heroism.”
— VARIETY
“Intimate, powerful... Expertly directed.”
— LA TIMES
“Thought-provoking.”
— THE NEW YORKER
“With their Sundance-premiering ADVOCATE they’ve created an in-the-trenches portrait of this unapologetic firebrand... A remarkable character. A warrior for justice who’s spent her entire adult life taking punch after punch, she forever gets up undaunted to fight another day.”
— FILMMAKER MAGAZINE
“Rachel Leah Jones and Philippe BellaÏche’s riveting new documentary pays tribute to the tenacity and selflessness of Jewish Israeli lawyer Lea Tsemel, a divisive figure in her home country on account of her unwavering dedication to Palestinian rights... A deeply bittersweet portrait of a magnetic individual.”
— SIGHT & SOUND
“Absorbingly up close and personal... Compelling.”
— THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER
“It’s what we need right now, an engaging way to crack open our thinking about something many of us are sure we already know. A fantastic main character you have to love. A riveting story that will make you mad and give you hope that there are people fighting the good fight. Great filmmaking.”
— THE DOCUMENT
“A heroic portrait of an Israeli lawyer who defends violent Palestinian offenders, ADVOCATE is a lively exercise in documentary advocacy. This self-described “angry and optimistic woman,” is a natural cinema verité performer, full of flashing energy, quick sardonic retorts and unselfconscious in her moral convictions.”
— POV MAGAZINE
“Lea Tsemel is a real, flesh-and-blood person, but if you saw someone like her in a fictional film, you might fault the screenwriter for inventing such an implausible character. ADVOCATE is not just a celebration but a continuation of the work she’s dedicated herself to.”
— FILM THREAT
“Thrilling and Exact.”
— HAARETZ
“Makes for potent viewing as a portrait of a steadfast activist with a controversial cause.”
— THE NEW YORK TIMES
“Inspirational and full of heart... Captures the humanity and pain that lays behind aggression and labels, building an insightful picture of a flawed judicial system. ”
— MODERN TIMES REVIEW
“A portrayal of a strong female figure who defies each and every convention.”
— CINEUROPA