Even in the Desert

Directed, written & produced by b.h. Yael, 2006

Film length 33:00 min

English, with Hebrew & Arabic text

Premiered at the Royal Theatre in Toronto

Even in the Desert, 33 minutes, is a personal reportage focusing on concrete actions by Israelis, Palestinians and Internationals working together in the face of and against current agendas to displace Palestinians and to limit their movements. The video travels to various locations and sites of resistance and solidarity in the West Bank:  from Mas’ha to Susya and Jinba, as well as Jerusalem.

View  Even in the Desert, on OVNI Archives

Even in the Desert is one of three videos in a series titled Palestine Trilogy that presents Palestinian, Israeli and International activists who work together in various groups and projects that attempt to address the historic and contemporary repercussions of Israel’s occupation and colonization of land.  These are but a few of the many activists who work, and who are not often represented in mainstream media images of the conflicts in Israel and Palestine. 

Starting with an acknowledgement by Israelis of the significance of the Nakba (the Palestinian disaster of 1948) Palestine Trilogy focuses on activists who provide a witnessing presence in sites of terror and displacement; they function as oppositional voices in Israel; and they provide small and sometimes only symbolic relief. Mostly they oppose the dominant myths that defend Israel’s occupation of Palestinian land and lives. They attest to the unjust reality of displacement, of walls, and of constant surveillance on families and indigenous communities. At the same time, mutual recognition points to the possibilities of a different reality and a hope that the ‘sounds of peace’ may predominate.

More writing about this work can be found HERE.