85 min
Documentary
2016 - United States
Over the past few years, Israel's ongoing military occupation of Palestinian territory and repeated invasions of the Gaza strip have triggered a fierce backlash against Israeli policies virtually everywhere in the world-except in the United States. The Occupation of the American Mind takes an eye-opening look at this critical exception, zeroing in on pro-Israel public relations efforts within the U.S.
Narrated by Roger Waters and featuring leading observers of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and U.S. media culture, the film explores how the Israeli government, the U.S. government, and the pro-Israel lobby have joined forces, often with very different motives, to shape American media coverage of the conflict in Israel's favor. From the U.S.-based public relations campaigns that emerged in the 1980s to today, the film provides a sweeping analysis of Israel's decades-long battle for the hearts, minds, and tax dollars of the American people in the face of widening international condemnation of its increasingly right-wing policies.
Q&A with Prof. Sut Jhally to follow. Moderated by Andréa Schmidt, journalist, producer, filmmaker.
Copresenters:
Khaled's Ladder
8 min
Joao Inada, Matteo Lonardo
Documentary Short
2016 - United States
Canadian Premiere
Against the backdrop of the US Presidential election, and increasingly anti-immigrant rhetoric coming from Donald Trump and the Republican Party, Palestinian artist, Khaled Jarrar, travels along the US / Mexican border from San Diego / Tijuana to El Paso / Juarez. Along the way Jarrar explores common concerns and human stories along the border . His journey culminates with the installation of an artwork made from stolen pieces of the US / Mexico border wall, in Juarez, Mexico. Although Jarrar has not given the monument a name, local people are calling it, “Khaled’s Ladder.”