On December 13th, the Boston Globe reported that Saudi Arabian prince Alwaleed bin Talal is giving $20 million to Harvard University to establish a university-wide program in Islamic studies. He is also donating another $20 million gift to Georgetown University for a similar program. What the Globe failed to mention, however, is that the prince had previously pledged $27 million during a 2002 telethon for the Support of the al-Quds Intifada.
Directed by Kevin Macdonald
Narrated by Michael Douglas
English, German, B&W, Color
94 minWhile Steven Spielberg’s 2005 film, "Munich," blurs the line between historical fiction and real events to tell the story of an Israeli hit team’s hunt for those involved in the 1972 Olympic massacre of Israeli athletes, this Academy Award-winning film focuses on the massacre itself through live film clips, news broadcasts and interviews with police, close relatives of victims, and the sole surviving perpetrator.
Directed by Ra'anan Alexandrowicz
Arabic,Hebrew with English subtitles, Color
94 minutesThe film follows a group of Palestinians on a three-day bus tour in Israel. Each participant recounts his or her tale of personal loss. Israelis are depicted as interlopers and colonizers. By narrowing his focus to the personal feelings of the travelers and injecting no corrective commentary, challenge or background information, the director gives viewers a severely skewed picture of a complex and difficult subject.
The Detroit News carried an op-ed by Mohammad Elahi, Imam of a large mosque in Dearborn Heights, that defends and attempts to justify Iranian President Ahmedinejad's call to wipe out Israel. Imam Elahi's column is laced with outright falsehoods and unsubstantiated accusations against Israel and compares the Iranian President's words to the American Declaration of Independence.
Directed by Samir Abdullah and Jose Reynes
80 minutes, Arabic, French and Hebrew with English Subtitles The film, commissioned by the International Parliament of Writers (IPW) and directed by two anti-Israel activists presents propaganda meant to inflame public opinion against Israel. The film likens Israel to the South African apartheid state, compares Israelis to Nazis and presents Palestinians as blameless victims of Israeli brutality.
Directed by Mark Jonathan Harris
Narrated by Morgan Freeman
English, B&W, Color
120 minThis academy award-winning film is about the heroic effort to re-establish the Jewish homeland in the wake of the European Holocaust. The film highlights the personal accounts of several survivors, tying them into the larger narrative of events in postwar Europe and Palestine and documents the unflagging efforts of others who helped them rebuild their lives in Palestine in the face of callous indifference by the international community.
Produced and Directed by Yulie Cohen Gerstel
English, Hebrew with English subtitles, Color
58 minutes"My Terrorist" chronicles the personal journey of the filmmaker from victim of a terrorist attack to advocate for the jailed perpetrator. Gerstel's campaign to free Mihyi serves as the vehicle for her to promote the political agenda she shares with her mentor, Ha'aretz columnist Gideon Levy who also appears in the film. They believe that Palestinians should not be blamed for any action, no matter how heinous.
