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Follow Us on TwitterShort film at MIFF: Susya by Dani Rosenberg and Yoav Gross July 17, 2011
Documentary Shorts – 28 July 9pm, ACMI 2 – MIFF
Summary by Peter Francis: “Susya refers to the setting where, twenty-five years ago, the Israeli government forcibly removed the Palestinian inhabitants so it could excavate and create the archaeological site it is today. The documentary tells the story of a Palestinian father and son revisiting the village for the first time since their ejection. They buy a ticket at the entrance and become tourists in their own town. The film contrasts the official Jewish history of the site with the father’s recollections about the village he once knew. Recollections which the tourist site refuses to acknowledge and in the end this competing version of history is forced off the stage. Susya is a poignant and depressingly accurate allegory for the relationship between the Israeli state, Palestine and its people.”
This short film depicts one of many stories of attempted erasure of Palestinians from their land. Earlier this year Palestinians in Susya were once again repeatedly subject to demolitions:
Third demolition in Susya, South mountain Hebron – 5 May 2011
The IDF demolished this morning 8 Palestinian structures. All of the structures had been donated to the community in the form of emergency aid following previous demolitions. As well the army blocked a water cistern and uprooted olive trees and other agriculture crops. Following the demolition the IDF declared the site a “closed military area”, from which they are banned.
This is third time in the last 3 month that this community suffers a demolition. During the previous demolitions, which took place on 22 February and 29 March, the IDF demolished a total of 19 residential tents, 1 animal pen, 2 water cisterns (including one dating from Roman times) and 3 sanitation facilities. Many of the families in the community were also displaced in the late 1980s to make way for an Israeli-run archeological site.
Photo by: Keren Manor/Activestills.org
Thank You.
