Private

Tonight I volunteered at the final event of the Arab Film Festival. The film finale was an amazing story called "Private" about a Palestinian family in occupied Palestine whose house is taken over by a unit of the Israeli army. Here's the blurb from Mizna's website:

Private (Palestine/Italy, 2004, 90 minutes)

Director: Saverio Costanzo

Synopsis: Inspired by real events, documentary filmmaker Saverio Costanzo's feature debut is a minimalist psychological drama about a Palestinian family of seven suddenly confronted with a volatile situation when the Israeli army decides to seize their house for use as a strategic look-out point, confining the family to a few rooms in daytime and a single room at night. Mohammad refuses to leave his home and, reinforced by his principles against violence, decides to find a way to keep his family together in the house until the Israeli soldiers move on. Living in a state of constant confrontation and fear fragments the family's relationships as every member reacts in different ways to the soldiers' presence in the house. Tensions between the family members and the soldiers nearly reach the breaking point just as the troops are ordered to move to a new post. The family's relief is short-lived, however, as a new group of soldiers moves into the house and the cycle of disruption and occupation continues. In English, Arabic, and Hebrew with English subtitles.

If you have any chance at all to see this film, I urge you to do so. I have more to say, but I'm dead tired. Later, gater.