"5 Broken Cameras"

“5 Broken Cameras”

…from the wreckage of five broken cameras—two filmmakers create one extraordinary work of art.

REEL Justice Films is a free, monthly social justice film series at the Unitarian Church in Westport, 10 Lyons Plains Road, Westport. 

Five broken cameras—and each one has a powerful tale to tell. Embedded in the bullet-ridden remains of digital technology is the story of Emad Burnat, a farmer from the Palestinian village of Bil’in, which famously chose nonviolent resistance when the Israeli army encroached upon its land to make room for Jewish colonists.

Emad buys his first camera in 2005 to document the birth of his

fourth son, Gibreel. Over the course of the film, he becomes the peaceful archivist of an escalating struggle as olive trees are bulldozed, lives are lost, and a wall is built to segregate burgeoning Israeli settlements.

Gibreel’s loss of innocence and the destruction of each camera are potent metaphors in a deeply personal documentary that vividly portrays a conflict many of us think we know. Emad Burnat, a Palestinian, joins forces with Guy Davidi, an Israeli, and—from the wreckage of five broken cameras—two filmmakers create one extraordinary work of art.

            RJF began in December, 2007 and offers thought provoking, award-winning feature, foreign, indy, and documentary social justice films every month.