‘Ai Weiwei’ and 2 Israel Films Make Oscars List
Quintessential Jewish Story: Alison Klayman and Ai Weiwei during filming of ?Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry.? Image by courtesy of alison klayman
Two Israeli films are on the Academy Awards’ short list for the best documentary category, along with one created by a 2012 Forward 50 selection.
“5 Broken Cameras,” directed by Emad Burnat and Guy Davidi; and “The Gatekeepers,” directed by Dror Moreh, were among the 15 finalists culled from 126 films in the best documentary category, the Academy announced Tuesday.
“5 Broken Cameras” documents the first years of director Burnat’s baby’s life against the backdrop of the West Bank village of Bil’in’s battle against the Israeli security fence. Five of Burnat’s cameras were smashed by the Israel Defense Forces as he documented friends and family members being shot and injured by Israeli troops. The film won the documentary director’s award this year at the Sundance Film Festival.
“The Gatekeepers” features interviews with six former directors of Israel’s Shin Bet security service.
Other documentaries on the short list include: “Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry,” about a persecuted Chinese artist, by Forward 50 pick Alison Klayman; “Bully,” about high school students abusing their friends; and “This Is Not A Film,” by Iranian director Jafar Panahi, who was forbidden to make films, as well as “Chasing Ice,” a study of climate change and “Ethel” a documentary about Ethel Kennedy.
The rest of the nominees are: “Detropia,” “The House I Live In,” “How to Survive a Plague,” “The Imposter,” “The Invisible War,” “Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God,” “Searching for Sugar Man,” ” and “The Waiting Room.”
The final five nominees for the category will be announced on Jan. 10. The 2013 Academy Awards Oscar ceremony will be held on Feb. 24.
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning journalism this Passover.
In this age of misinformation, our work is needed like never before. We report on the news that matters most to American Jews, driven by truth, not ideology.
At a time when newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall. That means for the first time in our 126-year history, Forward journalism is free to everyone, everywhere. With an ongoing war, rising antisemitism, and a flood of disinformation that may affect the upcoming election, we believe that free and open access to Jewish journalism is imperative.
Readers like you make it all possible. Right now, we’re in the middle of our Passover Pledge Drive and we still need 300 people to step up and make a gift to sustain our trustworthy, independent journalism.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Only 300 more gifts needed by April 30
