By Moti Krauthamer, Special to JTNews
Recently 300 foreign journalists converged on Israel to bolster the ranks of an already hefty foreign news corps. With this influx of journalists, more and more news stories are coming out of Israel. The increased coverage of Israel at this time brings up the perennial question: Why does the media focus so intensely on the Israel-Palestinian conflict?
This year’s Seattle Jewish Film Festival, presented by the American Jewish Committee from April 20 to 28, will explore the issue of Israel and the media. It will screen a series of films dealing with the Arab-Israeli conflict on April 21 and host what promises to be a very dynamic discussion between the festival attendees and a panel of Jewish film and television professionals after the 2 p.m. showing of “Primetime War” and “Street Under Fire.”
Filmmaker and author Michael Karpin, director of “A Bomb in the Basement,” the first film to tell the story of Israel’s nuclear option, will be among the panelists. He will be joined by Richard Trank, writer and director of the documentary “In Search of Peace: Part One: 1948–1967.” Trank is also the executive producer of the Simon Wiesenthal Center’s film division, Moriah Films.
“Street Under Fire,” an Israeli documentary, delves deep into the mindset of various neighbors on a block in Jerusalem’s Gilo neighborhood that has, for the past 18 months, been continually under fire from Palestinian gunmen in nearby Arab villages.
What makes this film so interesting is that it was shot over a period of seven months, giving the neighbors a chance to feel comfortable with the cameras and the filmmakers. The film uncovers the psychological and emotional damage done by terrorists, even to those who have not been hit with a bullet. What separates this documentary from most, if not all, foreign news stories is that it allows a cross section of people on one block a chance to share their fears, frustrations, anger and even confusion with the viewing audience. Because the format is longer than a typical news story, it allows the filmmaker to let the action speak for itself. For example, during an interview with a neighborhood man, a sniper begins shooting at the neighborhood. The man somewhat calmly and nervously calls his wife with the report as if a forward scout reporting to the front lines. The interview continues.
While consciously filming only in the Jewish neighborhood of Gilo, the filmmakers don’t seem to have entered their project with an agenda. Jews on the left, right or center, as well as Israeli Arabs, all had ample time on camera. It’s important to remember that despite the filmmaker’s desire to represent all opinions and responses, the majority of residents within that neighborhood under siege have, for obvious reasons, become more security-conscious and have moved to the right politically.
The documentary “Primetime War” focuses on Palestinian and Israeli news photographers covering the conflict for prime-time news. A fascinating look how news footage is shot, what will most likely strike many viewers are the images of crowds of news photographers within close proximity to either Palestinian rioters or Israeli soldiers — sometimes even outnumbering them.
The real gem of this documentary, however, is not the rarely seen footage of news being covered but the opportunity to hear two cameramen discuss their philosophies of covering an ongoing news story. The film explores the important influence of the press corps members on the events they cover and asks whether unbiased coverage of a news story is ever a possibility.
The documentary also reveals a new reason why Israel is in the news so frequently. Aside from the rest of the world’s hunger for information about this story, reporters and photographers reveal how much of their obsession with Israel has to do with the pleasant and convenient Western lifestyle they are able to lead in Israel while covering a “war story.”
The Seattle Jewish Film Festival has brought to the Northwest a unique look into the news we hear about. But the festival organizers seem to be cognizant of what most Israelis will tell you after a terror attack: “Life goes on.” With that in mind, the festival also brings its audience films that move beyond the Arab-Israeli conflict and focus on Israelis and Diaspora Jews dealing with life’s everyday issues, worries and joys.
Visit the festival Web site, at www.ajcseattle.org, for more film and program information. Tickets are now on sale and may be purchased online at www.ticketwindow.com or by calling 206-325-6500.
(Moti Krauthamer lived in Israel for more than decade and worked for leading international news agencies such as CNN. His documentaries and television segments have won numerous awards including an Emmy. He will also be a participant in the Israel in the Media panel discussion at the Seattle Jewish Film Festival.)