Another Road Home (2004)

Director:
Danae Elon

IMDB

Synopsis:
In 1967, not long after the Israeli Six Day War, noted author Amos Elon had moved into a new home in West Jerusalem, and he and his wife decided to hire someone to help watch over their one-year-old daughter, Danae. Mahmoud \"Musa\" Obeidallah, a Palestinian, applied for the job and got it, and so in the midst of bitter conflict, Danae grew up being taken care of and tutored by a man who was supposed to be a political rival of her family. In her early twenties, Danae lost contact with Musa, but recalled hearing that his children had relocated to New Jersey so they would be able to avoid the violence that had overrun his homeland. Years later, after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, Danae saw a news report stating that Patterson, NJ, was believed to have been home to an enclave of Arab terrorists, and Danae became both curious and concerned about the fate of Musa and his family. She decided to find Musa, and made a film about her search; Another Road Home was the result, and explores the odd contradictions of their relationship, as well as the deep affection that still exists between Danae and Musa.

9 Star Hotel (2007)

Director:
Ido Haar

IMDB

Synopsis:
Middle Eastern director Ido Haar helms the haunting cinema direct documentary 9 Star Hotel. The work introduces the audience to a cadre of Palestinian men who have built a transient community on the Israeli border, comprised of jerry-built huts and tiny, sarcophagus-like sleeping compartments. The men leave these quarters and systematically cross the border each morning before dawn, to work illegally at construction jobs in Israel - risking their safety and their lives to simply draw a regular income. Throughout, the workers stick close together (Haar suggests that the circumstances actually engender tighter social bonds between them) and evince a surprising sense of humor, tenacity and resilience. Meanwhile, constant hopes for improved circumstances in the future belie their lingering fears of being discovered and shot or arrested by Israeli authorities.

Wall (2004)

Director:
Simone Bitton

IMDB

Synopsis:
In the summer of 2002, Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon ordered the construction of a massive security wall, which would clearly define the border between Israel and Palestine and prevent Palestinian forces from easily entering Israeli territory. While the wall follows the nation's official borderlines, it cuts through neighborhoods, gardens, farmlands and others areas, serving as an ugly and divisive reminder of the ongoing conflict and ultimately trapping people on both sides within the barrier. Documentary filmmaker Simone Bitton, a Jew born in Morocco who identifies with both Israeli and Arab cultures, examines the long and costly process of building this fence in Wall (aka Mur), which offers a visual record of the barrier's emergence and features interview with the people who build it, as well as those forced to live in its shadow. Wall was screened as part of the 2005 Sundance Film Festival.

Attack of The Happy People (2006)

Director:
Nadav Harel

Review:
Ecstasy, which started out as a psychotherapeutic drug, has now become one of the most consumed recreational drugs around. This film by Nadav Harel documents the flourishing ecstasy party culture in Israel today. Navel says that Israel has one of the world's highest drug consumption rates. Affected by wars, an aggressive marketplace economy and very powerful religious forces, young people in Israel escape their harsh reality through excessive drug consumption. Ecstasy is particularly widespread. Many of the young Israelis interviewed for this documentary refer to it as “the drug of love” and say that when you're on it “everything becomes rosy; you're in a fantasy world; you love everyone you see...” This program features experts who believe in the therapeutic uses of the drug and also opponents of the drug who believe ecstasy use characterises our consumer-driven society, as many products such as music, clothes, dance parties and so on are being promoted through this drug trend.