Palestinian Filmmaker Detained at Los Angeles Airport

[Scurrilous]

<snip>

"The Palestinian filmmaker Emad Burnat, the co-director of the Oscar-nominated documentary “5 Broken Cameras,” was detained at Los Angeles International Airport on Tuesday.

Mr. Burnat, who had flown to Los Angeles for the Academy Awards on Sunday, was released after questioning, a representative for the film confirmed to The Los Angeles Times and other news outlets. The incident drew wide attention after Michael Moore, a supporter of Mr. Burnat’s film, posted a string of messages on Twitter late on Tuesday.

According to Mr. Moore’s posts, Mr. Burnat, 41, was detained with his wife and 8-year-old son for an hour and a half even after they produced his official Oscar invitation. He then texted Mr. Moore, who wrote that he called Academy officials, “who called lawyers.”

“I told Emad to give the officers my phone # and to say my name a couple of times,” Mr. Moore wrote. “After 1.5 hours, they decided to release him & his family & told him he could stay in LA for the week & go to the Oscars. Welcome to America.”

According to Mr. Moore’s Twitter posts, Mr. Burnat told him: “It’s nothing I’m not already used to. When u live under occupation, with no rights, this is a daily occurrence.”

http://carpetbagger.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/20/palestinian-filmmaker-detained-at-los-angeles-airport/

[Fantastic Anarchist]

1. Sucks to be treated like shit in Israel and in the US.

Birds of a feather, I suppose.

[Mosby]

2. something is weird about this story

Did he and his family have passports?

[Ken Burch]

15. I don't think they'd have been allowed on the flight if they didn't.

As I understand it, the issue was that they didn't have their formal invitations to the awards ceremony with them.

Then again...if nobody had told them that they should have been carrying the invitations, they wouldn't have known to carry them.

As far as I know, no Oscar nominee from any other country has been jerked around by customs as LAX for this reason.

[Mosby]

16. thx for the reply

I have not travelled outside the US very much, kinda out of my price range but don't people at customs just say "I'm here on a vacation"? How did the oscars even come up? Why would a tsa agent ask about the oscars?

[delrem]

17. There is no answer.

However, US politicians habitually say things like
"there is no daylight between Israel and the US on security matters",
and Emad Burnat is a Palestinian in a world where Israeli occupies all land that Palestine might exist on,
and Israel doesn't recognize the existence of Palestine,
so according as this shared view "Palestinians" live in a gray zone on the wrong side of oblivion,
and something like 60% of Palestinians voted for Hamas in the last legitimate elections,
and Hamas is deemed a terrorist organization by both Israel and the US.

gee, so much cause for puzzlement about Emad Burnat's treatment!

[azurnoir]

3. I'd be interested in the reasoning behind his being detained in the first place

is he on some list? If so who put him there? Is simply FwA (flying while Arab) or what?

[Scurrilous]

4. More like 'nominated for/invited to the Oscars while Palestinian."

"Emad, his wife & 8-yr old son were placed in a holding area and told they didn't have the proper invitation on them to attend the Oscars," he wrote. "Although he produced the Oscar invite nominees receive, that wasn't good enough & he was threatened with being sent back to Palestine... Apparently the Immigration & Customs officers couldn't understand how a Palestinian could be an Oscar nominee."

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/emad-burnat-detained-michael-moore-422616

[azurnoir]

5. wow thanks n/t

[shaayecanaan]

29. Lol...

"Although he produced the Oscar invite nominees receive, that wasn't good enough & he was threatened with being sent back to Palestine... Apparently the Immigration & Customs officers couldn't understand how a Palestinian could be an Oscar nominee."

Understandable.

[delrem]

18. Q. Is it simply FwA (flying while Arab)? A. Yes. n/t

[azurnoir]

19. yes however

I was also wondering if he was being somehow 'put in his place' or don't think that because you've been nominated for an Oscar .............. you can fill it in I'm sure, and if he was specifically targeted for that reason and just where the order came from

[delrem]

20. I think those kind of reasons always accompany such deliberate targeted humiliations.

It's fucking inconceivable that the Israeli co-editor would be subjected to the same humiliation.

[Jefferson23]

6. Fuck them Burnat, welcome and get ready for that red carpet. n/t

[Jefferson23]

7. The Oscar Interviews: 2013 Nominees Include "5 Broken Cameras," "Invisible War," "Gatekeepers"

& "How To Survive A Plague"

February 20, 2013

As we reported today, Emad Burnat, the subject of the Oscar-nominated film 5 Broken Cameras and a past guest on Democracy Now!, was detained at Los Angeles International Airport with his family after arriving to attend this weekend’s Academy Awards. In a series of Twitter messages, the filmmaker Michael Moore said immigration officers told Burnat he would not be allowed to enter the country even after he showed them his Oscar invitation. Burnat and his family were eventually released after Moore phoned Academy attorneys.

Burnat later told Democracy Now!, "Although this was an unpleasant experience, this is a daily occurrence for Palestinians, every single day, throughout the West Bank. There are more than 500 Israeli checkpoints, roadblocks and other barriers to movement across our land, and not a single one of us has been spared the experience that my family and I experienced yesterday. Ours was a very minor example of what my people face every day."

5 Broken Cameras tells the story of Burnat, a Palestinian farmer who got a video camera to record his son’s childhood but ended up documenting the growth of a resistance movement to the Israeli separation wall in the West Bank village of Bil’in.

Burnat co-directed 5 Broken Cameras with Israeli filmmaker Guy Davidi. Focused largely on the experience of Burnat and his family, the film explores the intersection of their lives with Palestinian and Israeli politics. Last June we recorded a two-part interview with Burnat and Davidi.

http://www.democracynow.org/blog/2013/2/20/the_oscar_interviews_2013_nominees_include_5_broken_cameras_the_invisible_war_gatekeepers

[Scurrilous]

8. Thanks!

[R. Daneel Olivaw]

9. It's so sad that Israeli policy seems to follow around the Palestinians

like a bad penny. I wonder who called who to have this guy and his family harassed.

[Jefferson23]

13. He handles himself well, I think and unfortunately he is use to it. n/t

[azurnoir]

10. for anyone who didn't know 5 broken cameras is on netflix streaming

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=2406545

[Violet_Crumble]

11. Thanks for the link, Az. I'm going to watch it this weekend n/t

on edit: I'll have to find some other way to watch it, it looks like

[Jefferson23]

12. Terrific, thanks for posting. n/t

[Jefferson23]

14. Michael Moore: '5 Broken Cameras' Could Win Oscar

7 hours ago | Huffington Post | See recent Huffington Post news »

Filmmaker Michael Moore, who came to the defense of Palestinian "5 Broken Cameras" co-director Emad Burnat when he was detained at Lax earlier this week, said that Burnat's film has an excellent chance of winning a Best Documentary Feature Oscar this weekend.

"It has an excellent chance of winning because it's one of the best movies of the year," Moore told HuffPost Live host Ahmed Shihab-Eldin Wednesday. "Not just one of the best documentaries. '5 Broken Cameras' is one of the best movies of the year. And I know many, many people in the Academy who've seen it and were just amazed and moved by this film."

Watch: Emad Burnat Speaks Out: "It's Not Normal For A Human To Be Treated Like This"

"5 Broken Cameras" traces the story of Burnat, a Palestinian olive farmer, and his village's nonviolent response as Israel's settlements expanded into Palestinian territories in the occupied West Bank. »

http://www.imdb.com/news/ni47511521/

[Jefferson23]

21. Israel's top diplomat in L.A.: Two Oscar-nominated films prove Israel's diversity of opinion

The Israeli Consul General in Los Angeles acknowledges that 'The Gatekeepers' and '5 Broken Cameras' are critical of the government's policies toward Palestinians, but says they stress Israel's freedom of expression.
By The Forward | Feb.22, 2013 | 7:55 PM

David Siegel needed all his diplomatic skills to make lemonade out of the lemons handed to him by the Oscar-nominated documentaries ‘The Gatekeepers” and “5 Broken Cameras.”

The Israeli Consul General in Los Angeles acknowledged that both films criticize the government’s policies toward the Palestinians, but asserted that they underscore Israel’s diversity of opinion and freedom of expression.

“We can be proud of the open democratic political discourse we have in Israel,” Siegel said.

‘5 Broken Cameras’ tells the story of a West Bank village’s life under Israeli occupation. “The Gatekeepers” includes startling criticism of Israel’s policies by a string of highly placed security insiders.

Despite his effort to put a positive spin on the movies’ Oscars nods, Siegel did lash out at Guy Davidi, co-creator of “5 Broken Cameras” for backing an international boycott on Israel in order to force it to end the occupation.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/israel-s-top-diplomat-in-l-a-two-oscar-nominated-films-prove-israel-s-diversity-of-opinion-1.505229

more here at The Forward: http://forward.com/articles/171717/israeli-consul-claims-two-critical-oscar-nominees/?p=all#ixzz2LeQI0zSr

[Jefferson23]

22. Oscars Message to Israel

on edit to add: Mairav Zonszein is a writer and editor based in Israel. She blogs at +972mag.com.


February 24, 2013, 5:00am

By Mairav Zonszein

What Message? If Guy Davidi and Emad Burnat win the Oscar for best documentary, it will be a wake-up call to Israel from the world.

“The Gatekeepers” and “5 Broken Cameras” have already succeeded in breaking one of Israel’s biggest taboos: airing out its dirty laundry on the big screen, for the whole world to see. Now the two films are both heading to the biggest stage of all: the Academy Awards.

If either one of the films from Israel/Palestine wins in the Best Documentary category, it will be a symbolic achievement for all those who believe Israeli government policies and the occupation are untenable and want to see it held accountable for the violent cycle Israelis and Palestinians continue to be in.

But there are salient and important differences between the films. Most obviously, “The Gatekeepers” provides the perspective of the privileged and powerful occupier, while “5 Broken Cameras” speaks for the powerless and debilitated occupied. While each film exposes Israel’s systematically unethical treatment of Palestinians, if one is chosen by the Academy as the winner, it will mean very different things.

“The Gatekeepers,” directed by Israeli filmmaker Dror Moreh, who previously made a movie about Ariel Sharon and his decision to withdraw from Gaza in 2005, brings together six former Shin Bet agents to expose the moral and tactical failures in the country’s secret internal security infrastructure. “5 Broken Cameras” is a documentary jointly directed by Palestinian Emad Burnat and Israeli Guy Davidi, chronicling the West Bank village Bil’in’s response to Israel’s construction of the separation wall and routine Israeli Defense Force harassment and raids.

in full: http://blogs.forward.com/forward-thinking/171798/oscars-message-to-israel/#ixzz2LpZKpRDr

[oberliner]

23. For those who don't think Liberal/Progressive Zionists exist

The author of this piece, Mairav Zonszein, is the former executive director of the Union of Progressive Zionists.

[Jefferson23]

24. I don't know the author, former as in no loner identifies as such? n/t

[oberliner]

25. She led the organization for many years

She had to step down from the position when she became a Ha'aretz editor in 2012.

I'm surprised you don't know her.

[Jefferson23]

26. No I am not familiar with her. What I was asking and wasn't specific about was,

does she continue to identify herself as a Zionist.

[oberliner]

27. I meant she is the former director of that organization

Whether or not she still believes in its ideology, I do not know.

Maybe email her?

[Jefferson23]

28. Fair enough. n/t

[oberliner]

30. Searching for Sugar Man wins the best documentary Oscar

Searching for Sugar Man, a Swedish-British production about a lost relic of the American folk scene, proved a popular winner of the best documentary Oscar at the 85th Academy Awards.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2013/feb/25/oscar-searching-for-sugar-man-documentary

[Jefferson23]

31. Phew

Bibi and many others are relieved no doubt.

[oberliner]

32. Have you seen 5 Broken Cameras yet?

If so, what did you think?

[Jefferson23]

33. Yes. The film is revealing of daily life under occupation, raising children etc, but

also the deep emotional pain it brings.

[oberliner]

34. That's not what it was about at all

It's about the resistance movement in Bi'lin.

Five cameras get broken. That is where the title comes from.

If you think it is about "raising children" then I fear you may have missed the point.

[Jefferson23]

35. I didn't say it was about raising children, I said and I'll repeat it for you

living under occupation. What that means to you, I have no idea. The filmmaker takes
time to focus on the birth of his youngest child as well as the occupation and it's impact
on his child.

No kidding 5 cameras get broken, duh.

[oberliner]

36. It was about Bi'lin in particular

That was the focus of the film. The protest movement there.

[Jefferson23]

37. The focus of the film was the occupation, where he lives is Bi'lin and the impact it had on his son

was an integral part..you don't like that fact, too bad. You're ridiculous at times, truly.

He brought his youngest son to the Oscar's btw.

[Scurrilous]

38. ‘The Gatekeepers,’ '5 Broken Cameras’ fail to win Academy Award Read more: The Jewish Chronicle - ‘

<snip>

"5 Broken Cameras and The Gatekeepers, stark indictments of the Israeli occupation and its effects on Palestinian life, failed to garner the coveted Oscar at the 85th Academy Awards Sunday.

The films lost in the best documentary to the Swedish/British production "Searching for Sugar Man," ensuring another year without an Israeli film winning the coveted film award.

Emad Burnat, the co-director of 5 Broken Cameras, objected to his film being called Israeli.

Burnat has a point. 5 Broken Cameras is almost entirely his production. He spent years filming the nonviolent protests in his village of Bil’in, where residents struggle with the encroachment of the separation barrier and the calving off of land for Israeli settlements. Burnat had some assistance from Israeli director Guy Davidi, but Burnat did the bulk of the cinematography, contributed the narration, and is the documentary’s star. It’s his story. And while the film received some government financing, Burnat isn’t an Israeli citizen; he’s a Palestinian living under Israeli military occupation. (Ajami also received some support from the Israeli government.)

The Academy doesn’t distinguish between nationalities for the documentary category, which is why two “Israeli” films can be nominated at once. But they are an important pairing—not the whole story of the occupation, but two essential pieces of it. With patience and steely determination, 5 Broken Cameras leads us through the daily humiliations of attacks from the army and settlers, night raids, the arrests of children, and the difficulty of staying nonviolent amidst an excruciating situation. We see the birth of Burnat’s son, Gibreel, and hear some of his first words: the Arabic terms for shells and soldiers."

Read more: The Jewish Chronicle - ‘The Gatekeepers ’ 5 Broken Cameras’ fail to win Academy Award

http://thejewishchronicle.net/view/full_story/21805829/article-%E2%80%98The-Gatekeepers-%E2%80%99--5-Broken-Cameras%E2%80%99-fail-to-win-Academy-Award?instance=lead_story_left_column