The First 54 Years - An Abbreviated Manual for Military Occupation

Dani Vilenski war 1978 als israelischer Soldat in der West Bank stationiert. Er erzählt in die Kamera, wie er angewiesen wurde, einem palästinensischen Bauern den Zutritt zu seinem eigenem Land zu verwehren, und dass sich der Anblick des Bauern auf seinem Esel für alle Zeit in sein Gedächtnis eingebrannt hat. Schnitt. Avi Mograbi erläutert uns als schneidend zynischer Kommentator die Methoden der israelischen Besatzung. Schritt für Schritt. Jahrzehnt für Jahrzehnt. Geschichten (ehemaliger) israelischer Soldaten und Analysen Mograbis. Der Film so gnadenlos wie die Geschichte dieser Okkupation. (Katja Wiederspahn)

Im Anschluss: Gespräch zwischen Avi Mograbi und Ruth Beckermann.
Einlass nur mit Filmticket vor Beginn des Films oder mit Zählkarte in der Pause vor Beginn des Gesprächs. Mehr Information zu dem Gespräch hier.

In a somewhat anonymous living room, a so-called professor played by Avi Mograbi himself gives a lecture on the long term strategy used by Israel in its nearly 60-year occupation of Palestine. With the cold distance expected by his status, the teacher explains the military and political thinking behind one of the longest military occupations in history. Veterans of the Israeli army testify before the camera about their missions to provide painful evidence of his theories, while footage of the abuses toward the civil population haunt the screen and our consciences. Avi Mograbi is the director who has perhaps investigated and most denounced the consequences of the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and the Gaza. His work speaks clearly to cinema’s capacity to give meaning to images otherwise muted and banalised by the machine of information. His presence on the screen, which is, as usual in his films, far from anecdotal, gives a strong statement on his artistic engagement. The contrast between the cynicism and sarcasm shown by Mograbi’s character and the shocking violence of the footage will oblige even the most informed spectator to rethink their understanding of the conflict. (Rebecca De Pas)

Avi Mograbi: DEPORTATION (1989, K), THE RECONSTRUCTION (THE DANNY KATZ MURDER CASE) (1994), HOW I LEARNED TO OVERCOME MY FEAR AND LOVE ARIK SHARON (1996), HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MR. MOGRABI (1999), AUGUST (2002), WAIT, IT’S THE SOLDIERS, I’LL HANG UP NOW (2002), DETAIL (2004, K), AVENGE BUT ONE OF MY TWO EYES (2005), Z32 (2008), ONCE I ENTERED A GARDEN (2012), BETWEEN FENCES (2016)