Occupation 101 is a film that captures the essence of the Israeli military occupation of Palestine along with the consequences that result from the regime. The film presents the situation in an informative and educational manner. Our targeted audience are Westerners that are not well informed (and misinformed) about the subject.
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Making of this film
The concept for Occupation 101 was first conceived during a visit to the occupied Palestinian territories in December of 2000. At that time the situation was spiraling out of control because of the Al-Aqsa Intifada and the methods used by the Israeli military to quell demonstrators. We were inspired by the experiences on the ground and felt an obligation to raise awareness about the realities of daily life under occupation.
Production for Occupation 101 began in April of 2001. We first filmed individual interviewees in various locations throughout the Unites States. We then traveled to the occupied Palestinian territories (West Bank and Gaza) and Israel. We filmed footage of the realities on the ground and the experiences people face living under military occupation. We also conducted interviews with victims, individuals, and organizations. We then traveled back to the US and conducted additional filmed interviews. We are now currently in post-production... the film will be released this summer 2002.
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The Interviews
The following individuals were interviewed for this film:
Noam Chomsky, Middle East analyst and author - Cambridge, MA.
Richard Falk, UN Commission on Human Rights fact-finding mission - Princeton, NJ.
Amira Hass, journalist for the daily Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz - Tel Aviv.
Allegra Pacheco, human rights attorney and political activist - Jerusalem.
Jeff Halper, anthropology professor - Ben Gurion University, Israel.
Phyllis Bennis, Middle East analyst and author, Institute for Policy Studies - Washington DC.
Edward Walker, former assistant Secretary of State (under Clinton admin), former US ambassador to Israel, president of the Middle East Institute - Washington, DC.
James Akins, former US ambassador to Saudi Arabia - Washington DC.
Paul Findley, former US congressman of 22 years - Jacksonville, IL.
Seth Ackerman, media analyst for FAIR (Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting) - New York.
John B. Quigley, international law professor - Ohio State University.
Rashid Khalidi, professor of Middle East history - University of Chicago.
Ramsey Clark, former US attorney general - New York.
Francis Boyle, international law professor - University of Illinois.
Rev James Lawson, mentor to Martin Luther King and architect of 1950s civil rights movement. - Los Angeles.
Roger Normand, Middle East analyst for Center for Economic and Social Rights - New York.
Father Drew Christiansen, former director of the Office of International Justice and Peace of the United States Catholic Conference (USCC) - Washington DC.
Bishop Bartlett, Jr., the Episcopal Diocese of Washington - Washington DC.
Sharon Burke from Amnesty International - Washington DC.
Peter Boukaert from Human Rights Watch - New York.
Yael Stien from B'tselem, a leading Israeli human rights organization - Jerusalem.
Douglas Dicks from Catholic Relief Services - Jerusalem.
Thomas Getman from World Vision International - Jerusalem
Cathy Campaisner from Christian Peacemaker Team - Hebron.
Hedva Radonavitz from Physcians for Human Rights - Tel Aviv.
Rabbi Arik Ascherman from Rabbis for Human Rights - Jerusalem.
Gila Svirsky from Women's Coalition for a Just Peace, an Israeli human rights activist group - Jerusalem.
Adam Keller from Gush Shalom, an Israeli peace organization - Tel Aviv.
Peretz Kidron from Yesh Gvul, a movement of Israeli soldiers who refuse to serve in the occupied territories - Jerusalem.
Neta Golan from International Solidarity Movement - Bethlehem
Hava Keller from Committee for Women Political Prisoners - Tel Aviv.
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The above mentioned interviews are accompanied by testimonial and journalistic footage, such as:
Video footage of human and civil rights abuses -- home demolitions, land confiscations, excessive use of military force on civilian populations, targeted assassinations, uprooting of agricultural trees, the daily humiliations at checkpoints, the denial of education, etc.
In addition, interviews with victims of human and civil rights abuses from West Bank towns and Gaza. They include ordinary citizens, refugees, students, hospital officials, and more.
<http://www.occupation101.com/film.html> -- Yoshie
* Calendar of Events in Columbus: <http://www.osu.edu/students/sif/calendar.html> * Anti-War Activist Resources: <http://www.osu.edu/students/sif/activist.html> * Student International Forum: <http://www.osu.edu/students/sif/> * Committee for Justice in Palestine: <http://www.osu.edu/students/CJP/>