Five Broken Cameras
Emad Burnat, Guy Davidi / Palestine, Israel, France / 2011 / 94'
Original language: Hebrew, Arabic
Directed by: Emad Burnat, Guy Davidi
Cinematography: Emad Burnat
Original Music: Le Trio Joubran
Produced by: Guy DVD Films, Alegria Productions, Burnat Films Palestine
Festivals/awards:
Sundance Film Festival, World Cinema Directing Award
International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam, Special Jury Award and Audience Award
Best Documentary in Durban Film Festival, South Africa
Doc/Fest Sheffield 2012 Audience Award
One World Film Festival 2012 Directing Award
Cinema Du Reel 2012 Louis Marcorelles Award
EuroDok - Best Documentary (Norway)
Human Rights Human Wrongs Film Festival Oslo
... and many, many more awards
There are five cameras – each with a story of their own. When his fourth son, Gibreel, is born in 2005, self-taught cameraman Emad Burnat, a Palestinian villager, gets his first camera. At the same time in his village of Bil’in, a separation barrier is being built and the villagers begin to resist this decision. For the next years, Burnat films this non-violent struggle, which is lead by two of his best friends, while at the same time recording the growth of his son. Very soon, these events begin to affect his family and his own life. Daily arrests, violent attacks, bulldozers knocking down olive trees, the loss of life and night raids in the village scare his family. His friends, brothers and even himself are either shot or arrested. One camera after another used to document these events is shot or smashed. Each camera unfolds a part of history and his story.
Eventually, Burnat joins forces with Guy Davidi – an Israeli filmmaker and together from these five broken cameras and the stories that they represent, these two filmmakers create a powerful piece of work entitled 5 BROKEN CAMERAS.