Films To Counter Media Bias on Palestine
Courtesy of The Media Education Foundation (plus some extras)
The Media Education Foundation (MEF) is giving away free access to 14 films on the occupation of Palestine and the ways that Western media have, and continue to, support anti-Palestinian propaganda and the violence of Israel. There is a mix of feature documentaries as well as filmed lectures. The MEF
These films will be available to stream from now until January 22, 2024. All you have to do is sign up with your email.
The list of films is:
The Occupation of the American Mind: Israel’s Public Relations War in the United States (2016) - Directed by Loretta Alper & Jeremy Earp
The War Around Us (2012) - Directed by Abdallah Omeish
Occupation 101 (2006) - Directed by Abdallah Omeish
Arna’s Children (2004) - Directed by Juliano Mer Khamis & Danniel Danniel
Life in Occupied Palestine (1997) - Directed by Anna Baltzer
Edward Said on Orientalism (1998) - Directed by Sut Jhally (produced by the MEF)
Edward Said: The Myth of ‘The Clash of Civilizations’ (1998) - Directed by Sut Jhally (produced by the MEF)
Constructing the Terrorist Threat: Islamophobia, Media, and the War on Terror (2017) - Directed by Sut Jhally
Reel Bad Arabs: How Hollywood Vilifies a People (2006) - Directed by Sut Jhally
Understanding Israel/Palestine: Dispossession, Resistance, and Human Rights (2023) - filmed talk with Mohammed el-Kurd and Kenneth Roth at UMass Amherst (put on by Students for Justice in Palestine)
Not Backing Down: Israel, Free Speech, and the Battle for Palestinian Right (2019)
- filmed talk at UMass Amherst between Linda Sarsour, Dave Zirin, Roger Waters, and Marc Lamont Hill, moderated by Vijay Prashad (produced by the MEF)
Peace, Propaganda & the Promised Land (2004) - Directed by Bathsheba Ratzkoff & Sut Jhally (produced by the MEF)
Criminalizing Dissent: The Attack on BDS and Pro-Palestinian Speech (2019)
- filmed talk at UMass Amherst between Linda Sarsour, Cornel West, Tim Wise, Shaun King1, Dima Khalidi, and Omar Barghouti (put on by the MEF and The Resistance Studies Initiative)
The Struggle for Justice in Palestine: Past, Present, and Future (2023)
- filmed talk at UMass Amherst by Norman Finkelstein
If you have Netflix Canada, there are many films you can watch, ranging from short films to features to documentaries (all of which are under 2hrs):
Farha (2021) - Directed by Darin J. Sallam
Born in Gaza (2014) - Directed by Hernán Zin
The Present (2020) - Directed by Farah Nabulsi
Pomegranates & Myrrh (2009) - Directed by Mai Masri
Children of Shatila (1998) - Directed by Mai Masri
Eyes of a Thief (2014) - Directed by Najwa Najjar
3000 Nights (2012) - Directed by Mahdi Fleifel
A Drowning Man (2014) - Directed by Mahdi Fleifel
A Man Returned (2017) - Directed by Mahdi Fleifel
The Crossing (2017) - Directed by Ameen Nayfeh
Xenos (2018) - Directed by Mahdi Fleifel
3 Logical Exists (2020) - Directed by Mahdi Fleifel
Like Twenty Impossibles (2003) - Directed by Annemarie Jacir
Salt of This Sea (2008) - Directed by Annemarie Jacir
Chronicle of A Disappearance (1996) - Directed by Elia Suleiman
Divine Intervention (2002) - Directed by Elia Suleiman
I am of the mind that it’s also important to consume art (including films) that are by Palestinian creators and/or centre various Palestinian experiences (not just heartbreak). A show I watched last summer and watched to do a ICYHW on is Mo, an autobiographical comedy by Mohammed Amer.
This is a great list by GQ Middle East. Decolonize Palestine also has an extensive list of books, from history to theory to novels and more.
At our house, Drew is currently reading Captive Revolution: Palestinian Women’s Anti-Colonial Struggle Within the Israeli Prison System (2014) by Ahla Abdo. I am reading Minor Detail (2020)2 by Adania Shibli, translated by Elisabeth Jaquette.
This newsletter is not intended to say you better watch every single thing—but to remind us all that there are so many accessible resources to educate ourselves and de-center whiteness and the West from our media.
If you have any suggestions on books or films, or just thoughts on something you watched/read, please leave them in the comments so other folks can learn more.
Don’t forget to write your reps. It is free to send mail to Canadian MPs (including the Prime Minister). All contact information can be easily found online.
[their name]
House of Commons
Ottawa, ON
K1A 0A6
Sometimes I really worry about this era of anti-intellectualism that seems to be happening on social media. While I understand critiques of accessibility, I’m dismayed by critiques of being passionate and interested in discussion and thought—whether it’s breaking down a new film or looking at a piece of art. We all have the capacity for growth and knowledge; these are not just things that happen in academia, they happen everywhere. May we always resolve, every year, to be curious for more information.
Shaun King is a scammer and I do not support him. I also understand why he has been invited to talks like this, considering his large platform.
Originally published in 2017.
Cover image by @sbeih.jpg.
