B’Tselem-produced Documentary to premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival
B’Tselem | Published: 10 Jan 2017
▻http://www.btselem.org/press_releases/20170109_the_boy_from_h2
A short documentary by Helen Yanovsky, “The Boy from H2”, created in collaboration with B’Tselem’s field researchers and Camera Project volunteers in Hebron, and produced by B’Tselem’s video department, will premiere at the 67th Berlinale (9-19 February 2017). The film will be screened as part of the Berlinale Shorts film competition.
The documentary follows 12-year-old Muhammad Burqan, who lives in Area H2 of Hebron, a section of the city under full Israeli control. Citing the security of some 800 settlers living in H2, Israel imposes severe restrictions on the movement – by pedestrians and by car – of some 43,000 Palestinians living there. Palestinian residents are also subjected to routine violence by Israeli security personnel and settlers, for which no one is held accountable. This state of affairs has led many of the area’s original residents to relocate, leaving behind mostly underprivileged families.
In Area H2, soldiers routinely detain children on suspicion of stone-throwing. Muhammad, who has nine siblings, is one of those children. His life revolves around his crowded home and the street, where he must deal with the constant presence of Israeli security forces and settlers.