Budrus (film)
Encyclopedia
Budrus is a 2009 Israeli
/Palestinian/American
documentary film
directed by Julia Bacha
, produced by Ronit Avni
and Julia Bacha
, and with a screenplay by Bacha. The film is about non-violent
demonstrations conducted by the residents of Budrus
(a Palestinian
town in the Ramallah and al-Bireh Governorate
) during the early 2000s to protest against the building of the Israeli West Bank barrier
inside of the village.
Budrus debuted on the festival circuit at the Dubai International Film Festival
on December 13, 2009. Its theatrical release was on September 24, 2010, in the UK. and on October 8, 2010, in the United States (New York
).
states that:
In 2004, The Nation
reported that if the planned construction of the Israeli West Bank barrier
continued along its designated course, "the 1,200 residents of Budrus--the vast majority of whom depend on agriculture for work--will lose a large portion of their fields. An Israeli bulldozer has already carved a preliminary path, and uprooted trees lie in its wake. According to the official map released by Israel's Defense Ministry, the proposed route of the separation barrier will not only pass through this patch of land but will also loop around to encircle Budrus and eight nearby villages, creating a closed enclave with a population of 25,000. Once the area is sealed, access to fields, offices, construction sites, university classrooms, friends and relatives outside the enclave will be restricted." In response, the residents began to hold non-violent protests. Haaretz
stated that although curfews were established to prevent the protests, "mainly young men violated the curfew and walked to the olive grove, to prevent the bulldozers from doing their work. Up to this week, the bulldozers have not returned to work - after they already uprooted about 60 olive trees."
In a 2010 interview with The Jewish News Weekly of Northern California, Budrus producer Ronit Avni
stated that the film was made in response to questions concerning the existence of Palestinian non-violence movements. She further argued that, "often the phrase that followed [this] question was something along the lines of, ‘If only Palestinians adopted nonviolence, there would be peace.’ The film explores what it looks like when a Palestinian nonviolence movement emerges. And what is the Israeli response?" In another interview with the Montreal Mirror
, she added that after investigating instances of Palestinians and Israelis working together towards peace through non-violence, "All of our research kept leading us back to Budrus
[...] And most Israelis and Palestinians did not know the story of this village."
It also played at the Tribeca Film Festival
. Budrus was the Official Selection at film festivals worldwide including: The International Thessaloniki Film Festival, Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival, Sydney Film Festival
, Dokufest
, Rhode Island International Film Festival
, EBS International Documentary Festival
, Festival do Rio
, Bergen International Film Festival
, Mumbai International Film Festival
, and The St. Louis International Film Festival
. It has also screened at other film festivals such as The San Francisco Jewish Film Festival
and the 14th Annual DocuWeeks film festival in Los Angeles and New York City.
.
During the first week of its release in the U.K.
(September 24, 2010), Budrus ranked #1 on the British-based film review website, The Critic List, which includes top critics from Total Film
, The Guardian
, TimeOut London, Little White Lies - Independent Film Magazine
, and The Evening Standard
. Tom Dawson of Total Film
gave the film four stars and called it "a timely testimony to the power of peaceful resistance." Peter Bradshaw
of The Guardian
gave Budrus four out of five stars stating that "this involving film is an eye-opener." He also argues that "what is so arresting about Bacha's film is that it shows something about the Israeli wall that I hadn't grasped. It doesn't just simply separate the Israelis from the Palestinians, but wanders on to the Palestinian territory, meandering and looping around: the idea is not merely to stop movement into Israel but covertly to impose paralysis within the Palestinian zone itself." Tom Huddleston of TimeOut London gave it four out of five stars and argues that, "In refusing to romanticise the villagers or demonise their aggressors, she presents a stark and wholly believable portrait of the Middle East conflict in microcosm, while her welcome focus on character over political point-scoring gives Budrus a weighty emotional kick." Liz Haycroft of Little White Lies - Independent Film Magazine
gave Budrus three out of five stars and states, "By incorporating interviews with an Israeli Border Police captain and a spokesman from the military police, Budrus presents a relatively balanced view of the dispute, particularly for those unfamiliar with the regional politics. And yet from the very beginning, it’s difficult to fathom how one country can enter a region and declare parts of it their own, without expecting some kind of resistance. The people of Budrus, and their choice of peaceful protest, can only be admired." Derek Malcolm
of The Evening Standard
gave the film four out of five stars and notes that the "film seems designed to prove what can be done by relatively peaceful means. But it is at its best when we see how Morror gradually moves into a position of moral strength. You can scarcely believe the foolishness of the Israeli authorities, but you never get the sense that the film is taking sides." In addition, Budrus received four stars from The Daily Telegraph
and the Financial Times
.
In the United States
, Budrus was listed as a "Critic's Pick" by New York Magazine
and Ann Hornaday of The Washington Post
. Hornaday later questioned why Budrus was "inexplicably left off" the Oscars nomination list for best documentary stating that "if there was an Arab-Israeli "slot" in the noms, my nod would have gone to Budrus." Kenneth Turan
of the Los Angeles Times
called Budrus a "surprisingly heartening" film and stated that, "What's most gratifying about "Budrus" is that the film enables us to feel some of the same emotions the participants experienced." Michael Phillips
of the Chicago Tribune
gave Budrus three and a half stars referring to it as "Julia Bacha's fine, humane documentary" that "makes you believe people can get things done, if they think in terms of coalitions and principles and methods other than brute force." Mike Hale of the New York Times called Budrus an "engrossing and sometimes inspiring" film and stated that it is, "Eyes on the Prize
with olive trees." Ella Taylor of The Village Voice
referred to Budrus as, "Julia Bacha’s mostly fair-minded documentary." Alissa Simon of Variety
called Budrus a "poignant" and "inspiring" documentary. While she argued that the "pic fails to provide a sense of chronology" or the impact of the demonstrations on everyday life, Simon also stated that, "these are small criticisms when compared to the pic's useful analysis of what constitutes model conflict resistance." Chuck Bowen of Slant Magazine gave the film two and half out of four stars arguing that, "Budrus is passionately, more-than-competently made, but it's a civics lesson that doesn't quite shake you to your core." Nick Schager of Time Out New York gave the film two out of five stars and argued that, "documentaries warrant viewpoints, but they should also provide perspective on more than one side of a contentious issue."
Cinema of Israel
Cinema of Israel refers to movie production in Israel since its founding in 1948. Most Israeli films are produced in Hebrew. Israel has been nominated for more Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film than any other country in the Middle East....
/Palestinian/American
Cinema of the United States
The cinema of the United States, also known as Hollywood, has had a profound effect on cinema across the world since the early 20th century. Its history is sometimes separated into four main periods: the silent film era, classical Hollywood cinema, New Hollywood, and the contemporary period...
documentary film
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
directed by Julia Bacha
Julia bacha
Julia Bacha is a Brazilian documentary filmmaker.-Background:Bacha was born in 1980 in in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil...
, produced by Ronit Avni
Ronit Avni
Ronit Avni is a Canadian/Israeli/ recent American. Ronit Avni is an award-winning filmmaker, human rights advocate and media strategist with an expertise in Israeli-Palestinian conflict resolution efforts. Ms...
and Julia Bacha
Julia bacha
Julia Bacha is a Brazilian documentary filmmaker.-Background:Bacha was born in 1980 in in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil...
, and with a screenplay by Bacha. The film is about non-violent
Nonviolence
Nonviolence has two meanings. It can refer, first, to a general philosophy of abstention from violence because of moral or religious principle It can refer to the behaviour of people using nonviolent action Nonviolence has two (closely related) meanings. (1) It can refer, first, to a general...
demonstrations conducted by the residents of Budrus
Budrus
Budrus is a Palestinian town in the Ramallah and al-Bireh Governorate, located 31 kilometers Northwest of Ramallah in the northern West Bank. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics , the town had a population of 1,399 inhabitants in 2007."Budrus" is Arabic for "Peter" and in...
(a Palestinian
Palestinian territories
The Palestinian territories comprise the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Since the Palestinian Declaration of Independence in 1988, the region is today recognized by three-quarters of the world's countries as the State of Palestine or simply Palestine, although this status is not recognized by the...
town in the Ramallah and al-Bireh Governorate
Ramallah and al-Bireh Governorate
The Ramallah and al-Bireh Governorate is one of 16 Governorates of the West Bank and Gaza Strip. It covers a large part of the central West Bank, on the northern border of the Jerusalem Governorate. Its district capital or muhfaza is the city of al-Bireh.According to the Palestinian Central...
) during the early 2000s to protest against the building of the Israeli West Bank barrier
Israeli West Bank barrier
The Israeli West Bank barrier is a separation barrier being constructed by the State of Israel along and within the West Bank. Upon completion, the barrier’s total length will be approximately...
inside of the village.
Budrus debuted on the festival circuit at the Dubai International Film Festival
Dubai International Film Festival
The Dubai International Film Festival is an international film festival based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Launched in 2004, it aims to foster the growth of filmmaking in the Arab world.-Overview:...
on December 13, 2009. Its theatrical release was on September 24, 2010, in the UK. and on October 8, 2010, in the United States (New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
).
Plot
Jordana Horn in The Jewish Daily ForwardThe Forward
The Forward , commonly known as The Jewish Daily Forward, is a Jewish-American newspaper published in New York City. The publication began in 1897 as a Yiddish-language daily issued by dissidents from the Socialist Labor Party of Daniel DeLeon...
states that:
- Budrus [is] a documentary by Julia Bacha that examines one West Bank town’s reaction to Israel’s construction of the security barrier. The town, with a population of 1,500, was set to be divided and encircled by the barrier, losing 300 acres of land and 3,000 olive trees. These trees were not only critical for economic survival but also sacred to the town’s intergenerational history. The film tells the story of Ayed Morrar, a Palestinian whose work for Fatah had led to five detentions in Israeli jails, but whose momentous strategic decision that the barrier would be best opposed by nonviolent resistanceNonviolent resistanceNonviolent resistance is the practice of achieving goals through symbolic protests, civil disobedience, economic or political noncooperation, and other methods, without using violence. It is largely synonymous with civil resistance...
had far-reaching ramifications.
Cast
- Ayed Morrar: Leader of the non-violentNonviolenceNonviolence has two meanings. It can refer, first, to a general philosophy of abstention from violence because of moral or religious principle It can refer to the behaviour of people using nonviolent action Nonviolence has two (closely related) meanings. (1) It can refer, first, to a general...
movement in Budrus, "uniting all local Palestinian political factions, including HamasHamasHamas is the Palestinian Sunni Islamic or Islamist political party that governs the Gaza Strip. Hamas also has a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades...
and FatahFatahFataḥ is a major Palestinian political party and the largest faction of the Palestine Liberation Organization , a multi-party confederation. In Palestinian politics it is on the left-wing of the spectrum; it is mainly nationalist, although not predominantly socialist. Its official goals are found...
, and encouraging hundreds of Israelis to cross into the Occupied Palestinian TerritoriesPalestinian territoriesThe Palestinian territories comprise the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Since the Palestinian Declaration of Independence in 1988, the region is today recognized by three-quarters of the world's countries as the State of Palestine or simply Palestine, although this status is not recognized by the...
and demonstrate in support of his village." - Iltezam Morrar: The fifteen-year-old daughter of Ayed, whose "fearlessness galvanizes the entire village and affirms the importance of women in the movement. The demonstrations in Budrus marked the first time that Iltezam, like most of the village’s youth, met Israelis who were not soldiersIsrael Defense ForcesThe Israel Defense Forces , commonly known in Israel by the Hebrew acronym Tzahal , are the military forces of the State of Israel. They consist of the ground forces, air force and navy. It is the sole military wing of the Israeli security forces, and has no civilian jurisdiction within Israel...
or settlersIsraeli settlementAn Israeli settlement is a Jewish civilian community built on land that was captured by Israel from Jordan, Egypt, and Syria during the 1967 Six-Day War and is considered occupied territory by the international community. Such settlements currently exist in the West Bank...
." - Kobi Snitz: Israeli activist who participated in the demonstrations in Budrus.
- Ahmed Awwad: A member of HamasHamasHamas is the Palestinian Sunni Islamic or Islamist political party that governs the Gaza Strip. Hamas also has a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades...
who aided Ayed in promoting "nonviolence as a strategic tool, best suited to achieve the village’s aims." In response to the involvement of Israeli activists in the Budrus demonstrations, Awwad stated, "We had already heard that there were some Israelis who wanted peace with the Palestinians. But these demonstrations exceeded expectations. . . . In these marches I saw these Israeli voices in real life; it wasn’t just something I heard about." - Yasmine Levy: Squad commander of the Israel Border PoliceIsrael Border PoliceThe Israel Border Police is the gendarmerie and border security branch of the Israel National Police. It is also commonly known by its Hebrew abbreviation Magav , meaning border guard, whilst its members are colloquially known as Magavnikim . Border Guard is often used as the official name of the...
who "develops a complex relationship with the women in the village who call her by name in their chants." - Doron Spielman: Spokesman for the Israeli army who doesn't believe that the non-violent protests will result in change.
Themes and background
| Nonviolent, civil disobedience is not new to the Palestinian territories. It has been used, historians say, in various forms and with mixed results from the early 1920s through the second intifada. But what makes the Palestinian peaceniks of Budrus different is that they explicitly define their movement in opposition to violence, condemning even stone—throwing, long a symbol of Palestinian resistance. Also unique: women in Budrus asked to march at the front of the protests, as did Israeli and international peace activists. All, analysts say, complicated the efforts of the Israeli security forces, which resorted to using force against unarmed women, foreign activists, and Israeli civilians. |
| — R.M. Schneiderman and Joanna Chen, Newsweek Newsweek Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence... |
In 2004, The Nation
The Nation
The Nation is the oldest continuously published weekly magazine in the United States. The periodical, devoted to politics and culture, is self-described as "the flagship of the left." Founded on July 6, 1865, It is published by The Nation Company, L.P., at 33 Irving Place, New York City.The Nation...
reported that if the planned construction of the Israeli West Bank barrier
Israeli West Bank barrier
The Israeli West Bank barrier is a separation barrier being constructed by the State of Israel along and within the West Bank. Upon completion, the barrier’s total length will be approximately...
continued along its designated course, "the 1,200 residents of Budrus--the vast majority of whom depend on agriculture for work--will lose a large portion of their fields. An Israeli bulldozer has already carved a preliminary path, and uprooted trees lie in its wake. According to the official map released by Israel's Defense Ministry, the proposed route of the separation barrier will not only pass through this patch of land but will also loop around to encircle Budrus and eight nearby villages, creating a closed enclave with a population of 25,000. Once the area is sealed, access to fields, offices, construction sites, university classrooms, friends and relatives outside the enclave will be restricted." In response, the residents began to hold non-violent protests. Haaretz
Haaretz
Haaretz is Israel's oldest daily newspaper. It was founded in 1918 and is now published in both Hebrew and English in Berliner format. The English edition is published and sold together with the International Herald Tribune. Both Hebrew and English editions can be read on the Internet...
stated that although curfews were established to prevent the protests, "mainly young men violated the curfew and walked to the olive grove, to prevent the bulldozers from doing their work. Up to this week, the bulldozers have not returned to work - after they already uprooted about 60 olive trees."
In a 2010 interview with The Jewish News Weekly of Northern California, Budrus producer Ronit Avni
Ronit Avni
Ronit Avni is a Canadian/Israeli/ recent American. Ronit Avni is an award-winning filmmaker, human rights advocate and media strategist with an expertise in Israeli-Palestinian conflict resolution efforts. Ms...
stated that the film was made in response to questions concerning the existence of Palestinian non-violence movements. She further argued that, "often the phrase that followed [this] question was something along the lines of, ‘If only Palestinians adopted nonviolence, there would be peace.’ The film explores what it looks like when a Palestinian nonviolence movement emerges. And what is the Israeli response?" In another interview with the Montreal Mirror
Montreal Mirror
Montreal Mirror is a free English language alternative newsweekly based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada with a circulation of 70,000, and reaches a quarter of a million readers per week. It is published by Communications Gratte-Ciel Ltée....
, she added that after investigating instances of Palestinians and Israelis working together towards peace through non-violence, "All of our research kept leading us back to Budrus
Budrus
Budrus is a Palestinian town in the Ramallah and al-Bireh Governorate, located 31 kilometers Northwest of Ramallah in the northern West Bank. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics , the town had a population of 1,399 inhabitants in 2007."Budrus" is Arabic for "Peter" and in...
[...] And most Israelis and Palestinians did not know the story of this village."
Release
Budrus initially debuted on the festival circuit in 2009 at the Dubai International Film FestivalDubai International Film Festival
The Dubai International Film Festival is an international film festival based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Launched in 2004, it aims to foster the growth of filmmaking in the Arab world.-Overview:...
It also played at the Tribeca Film Festival
Tribeca Film Festival
The Tribeca Film Festival is a film festival founded in 2002 by Jane Rosenthal, Robert De Niro and Craig Hatkoff in a response to the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and the consequent loss of vitality in the TriBeCa neighborhood in Lower Manhattan.The mission of the festival...
. Budrus was the Official Selection at film festivals worldwide including: The International Thessaloniki Film Festival, Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival, Sydney Film Festival
Sydney Film Festival
The Sydney Film Festival is an annual film festival held in the Australian city of Sydney and is held over 12 days in June. The competitive film festival draws international and local attention, with films being showcased in several venues across the city centre and includes features,...
, Dokufest
Dokufest
Dokufest is an International Documentary and Short Film Festival that is held every year during August in Prizren, Kosovo. It started recently, in 2002. This Festival attracts numerous international and regional artists...
, Rhode Island International Film Festival
Rhode Island International Film Festival
Flickers' Rhode Island International Film Festival takes place every year in Providence and Newport, Rhode Island as well as satellite locations throughout the state. Started in 1997, the Festival is produced by Flickers, the Newport Film/Video Society & Arts Collaborative, a 501 non-profit...
, EBS International Documentary Festival
EBS International Documentary Festival
EBS International Documentary Festival is hosted by EBS, a national public television featuring educational and cultural programs in Korea. EIDF is one and only documentary festival through both screening and broadcasting at the same time...
, Festival do Rio
Festival do Rio
The Festival do Rio is an international film festival in Rio de Janeiro.-History:The festival was the result of a 1999 merger of two previous film festivals, the Rio Cine Festival and the Mostra Banco Nacional de Cinema....
, Bergen International Film Festival
Bergen International Film Festival
The Bergen International Film Festival is a film festival held annually in October in Bergen, Norway since 2000, and is the largest film festival in the nation in number of films. The 11th edition of the festival in 2010 featured 150 films in the program, a new record...
, Mumbai International Film Festival
Mumbai International Film Festival
Mumbai International Film Festival for Documentary, Short and Animation Films , is a festival organised in the city of Mumbai by the 'Film Division', Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Govt. of India. It has been organised since 1990, and focuses on documentary, short and animation...
, and The St. Louis International Film Festival
St. Louis International Film Festival
The St. Louis International Film Festival is an annual film festival in St. Louis, Missouri, which has been running since 1992. The coordinating organization changed its name to "Cinema St. Louis" in 2003...
. It has also screened at other film festivals such as The San Francisco Jewish Film Festival
San Francisco Jewish Film Festival
San Francisco Jewish Film Festival is the oldest and largest Jewish film festival in the world. The three-week summer festival is held in San Francisco, California, usually at the Castro Theater in San Francisco and other cinemas in San Francisco, Berkeley, San Rafael, and Palo Alto, and features...
and the 14th Annual DocuWeeks film festival in Los Angeles and New York City.
Critical response
As of 15 January 2011, Budrus has received an overall rating of 95% from all critics (19 fresh and 1 rotten) and a 100% rating from Top Critics (6 fresh and 0 rotten) at Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
.
During the first week of its release in the U.K.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
(September 24, 2010), Budrus ranked #1 on the British-based film review website, The Critic List, which includes top critics from Total Film
Total Film
Total Film is a British film magazine published 13 times a year by Future Publishing. The magazine was launched in 1997 and offers film, DVD and Blu-ray news, reviews and features...
, The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, TimeOut London, Little White Lies - Independent Film Magazine
Little White Lies (magazine)
Little White Lies is a bi-monthly, British independent movie magazine that features writing, illustration and photography related to cinema.-History:...
, and The Evening Standard
Evening Standard
The Evening Standard, now styled the London Evening Standard, is a free local daily newspaper, published Monday–Friday in tabloid format in London. It is the dominant regional evening paper for London and the surrounding area, with coverage of national and international news and City of London...
. Tom Dawson of Total Film
Total Film
Total Film is a British film magazine published 13 times a year by Future Publishing. The magazine was launched in 1997 and offers film, DVD and Blu-ray news, reviews and features...
gave the film four stars and called it "a timely testimony to the power of peaceful resistance." Peter Bradshaw
Peter Bradshaw
Peter Bradshaw is a British writer and film critic. He was educated at Cambridge University, where he was President of Footlights.Bradshaw is a film critic for The Guardian...
of The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
gave Budrus four out of five stars stating that "this involving film is an eye-opener." He also argues that "what is so arresting about Bacha's film is that it shows something about the Israeli wall that I hadn't grasped. It doesn't just simply separate the Israelis from the Palestinians, but wanders on to the Palestinian territory, meandering and looping around: the idea is not merely to stop movement into Israel but covertly to impose paralysis within the Palestinian zone itself." Tom Huddleston of TimeOut London gave it four out of five stars and argues that, "In refusing to romanticise the villagers or demonise their aggressors, she presents a stark and wholly believable portrait of the Middle East conflict in microcosm, while her welcome focus on character over political point-scoring gives Budrus a weighty emotional kick." Liz Haycroft of Little White Lies - Independent Film Magazine
Little White Lies (magazine)
Little White Lies is a bi-monthly, British independent movie magazine that features writing, illustration and photography related to cinema.-History:...
gave Budrus three out of five stars and states, "By incorporating interviews with an Israeli Border Police captain and a spokesman from the military police, Budrus presents a relatively balanced view of the dispute, particularly for those unfamiliar with the regional politics. And yet from the very beginning, it’s difficult to fathom how one country can enter a region and declare parts of it their own, without expecting some kind of resistance. The people of Budrus, and their choice of peaceful protest, can only be admired." Derek Malcolm
Derek Malcolm
Derek Malcolm is a British film critic and historian.Malcolm was educated at Eton College and Oxford University. He worked for several decades as a film critic for The Guardian, having previously been an amateur jockey and the paper's first horse racing correspondent. In 1977, he was a member of...
of The Evening Standard
Evening Standard
The Evening Standard, now styled the London Evening Standard, is a free local daily newspaper, published Monday–Friday in tabloid format in London. It is the dominant regional evening paper for London and the surrounding area, with coverage of national and international news and City of London...
gave the film four out of five stars and notes that the "film seems designed to prove what can be done by relatively peaceful means. But it is at its best when we see how Morror gradually moves into a position of moral strength. You can scarcely believe the foolishness of the Israeli authorities, but you never get the sense that the film is taking sides." In addition, Budrus received four stars from The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
and the Financial Times
Financial Times
The Financial Times is an international business newspaper. It is a morning daily newspaper published in London and printed in 24 cities around the world. Its primary rival is the Wall Street Journal, published in New York City....
.
In the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Budrus was listed as a "Critic's Pick" by New York Magazine
New York (magazine)
New York is a weekly magazine principally concerned with the life, culture, politics, and style of New York City. Founded by Milton Glaser and Clay Felker in 1968 as a competitor to The New Yorker, it was brasher and less polite than that magazine, and established itself as a cradle of New...
and Ann Hornaday of The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
. Hornaday later questioned why Budrus was "inexplicably left off" the Oscars nomination list for best documentary stating that "if there was an Arab-Israeli "slot" in the noms, my nod would have gone to Budrus." Kenneth Turan
Kenneth Turan
Kenneth Turan is an American film critic and Lecturer in the Master of Professional Writing Program at the University of Southern California.-Background:...
of the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
called Budrus a "surprisingly heartening" film and stated that, "What's most gratifying about "Budrus" is that the film enables us to feel some of the same emotions the participants experienced." Michael Phillips
Michael Phillips (critic)
Michael Phillips is a film critic for the Chicago Tribune newspaper. Previously he was the drama critic of the Tribune; the Los Angeles Times; the St. Paul Pioneer Press; the San Diego Union-Tribune; and the Dallas Times Herald....
of the Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
gave Budrus three and a half stars referring to it as "Julia Bacha's fine, humane documentary" that "makes you believe people can get things done, if they think in terms of coalitions and principles and methods other than brute force." Mike Hale of the New York Times called Budrus an "engrossing and sometimes inspiring" film and stated that it is, "Eyes on the Prize
Eyes on the Prize
Eyes on the Prize is a 14-hour documentary series about the African-American Civil Rights Movement. The series was produced in two-stages: Eyes on the Prize: America's Civil Rights Years 1954–1964 consists of the first six episodes covering the time period between the Brown v. Board decision and...
with olive trees." Ella Taylor of The Village Voice
The Village Voice
The Village Voice is a free weekly newspaper and news and features website in New York City that features investigative articles, analysis of current affairs and culture, arts and music coverage, and events listings for New York City...
referred to Budrus as, "Julia Bacha’s mostly fair-minded documentary." Alissa Simon of Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
called Budrus a "poignant" and "inspiring" documentary. While she argued that the "pic fails to provide a sense of chronology" or the impact of the demonstrations on everyday life, Simon also stated that, "these are small criticisms when compared to the pic's useful analysis of what constitutes model conflict resistance." Chuck Bowen of Slant Magazine gave the film two and half out of four stars arguing that, "Budrus is passionately, more-than-competently made, but it's a civics lesson that doesn't quite shake you to your core." Nick Schager of Time Out New York gave the film two out of five stars and argued that, "documentaries warrant viewpoints, but they should also provide perspective on more than one side of a contentious issue."
2010
- Won: Tribeca Film FestivalTribeca Film FestivalThe Tribeca Film Festival is a film festival founded in 2002 by Jane Rosenthal, Robert De Niro and Craig Hatkoff in a response to the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and the consequent loss of vitality in the TriBeCa neighborhood in Lower Manhattan.The mission of the festival...
- Special Jury Mention - Won: 60th Berlin International Film Festival60th Berlin International Film FestivalThe 60th annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from February 11 to February 21, 2010, with Werner Herzog as President of the Jury. The opening film of the festival was Chinese director Wang Quan'an's romantic drama Apart Together, in competition, while the closing film is Japanese...
- Panorama Audience Award Second Prize - Won: Bahamas International Film FestivalBahamas International Film FestivalBahamas International Film Festival is an annual film festival held in early December in the Bahamas, founded in 2004.The Bahamas International Film Festival is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing the local community and international visitors with a diverse presentation of films...
- Spirit of Freedom Documentary Award - Won: San Francisco International Film FestivalSan Francisco International Film FestivalSan Francisco International Film Festival is the oldest continuously running film festival in the Americas. Organized by the San Francisco Film Society, the International is held each spring for two weeks, presenting an average of 150 films from over 50 countries...
- Audience Award - Won: Jerusalem Film FestivalJerusalem Film FestivalThe Jerusalem Film Festival is an international film festival held annually in Jerusalem, Israel. The festival was the brainchild of Lia van Leer, who inaugurated it on May 17, 1984...
- Honorable Mention for Best Documentary in the Spirit of Freedom Award - Won: SilverdocsSilverdocsAFI-Discovery Channel Silverdocs Documentary Festival is an American international film festival created by the American Film Institute and Discovery Channel. It is held every year in Silver Spring, Maryland near Washington, D.C.. Started in 2003, the festival is held for eight days in June at...
- Witness Award - Won: Traverse City Film FestivalTraverse City Film FestivalThe Traverse City Film Festival is an annual film festival held every late July through early August in Traverse City, Michigan. The festival was created as an annual event in 2005 to help “save one of America's few indigenous art forms—the cinema." The event was co-founded by Michael Moore, the...
- Founders Prize, Best of Fest, Nonfiction - Won: Bergen International Film FestivalBergen International Film FestivalThe Bergen International Film Festival is a film festival held annually in October in Bergen, Norway since 2000, and is the largest film festival in the nation in number of films. The 11th edition of the festival in 2010 featured 150 films in the program, a new record...
- Checkpoints Award - Won: Documenta MadridMadridMadrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
10 - Honorable Mention of the Jury - Won: Festival des Libertés - Festival des Libertés Prize
- Won: Pesaro Film Festival - Amnesty Italia Award
Further reading
- Avni, RonitRonit AvniRonit Avni is a Canadian/Israeli/ recent American. Ronit Avni is an award-winning filmmaker, human rights advocate and media strategist with an expertise in Israeli-Palestinian conflict resolution efforts. Ms...
. "From Budrus to Bilin: Arresting Heroes." Huffington Post, October 14, 2010. - Elsalameen, FadiFadi ElsalameenFadi Elsalameen is a prominent Palestinian youth leader, , , , and . Elsalameen is also fellow with the New America Foundation's American Strategy Program. He was the director general of...
. "Finding Palestine's Gandhi in Budrus." Huffington Post, June 18, 2010. - indieWireIndieWireindieWIRE is a daily news site for the independent film community. It covers indie, documentary and foreign language films, as well industry news, film festival reports, filmmaker interviews and movie reviews...
. "Budrus Director Julia Bacha’s Appeals to Widest Audience. April 22, 2010. - Morrar, Ayed. "Civil Resistance to Bring Down the Walls." Huffington Post, November 1, 2010.
- Romero, Angie. "Berlin Film Festival Spotlight: Julia Bacha's Budrus. February 23, 2010.
External links
- "The Ghandi of Palestine?" - slideshow by Der SpiegelDer SpiegelDer Spiegel is a German weekly news magazine published in Hamburg. It is one of Europe's largest publications of its kind, with a weekly circulation of more than one million.-Overview:...